16 replies to this topic

[Shazza]

Hi all, new to the forum and returning to keeping ants after a 20 year break. Just received my camponotus consobrinus queen, she has a few larvae and I'm guessing 6-7 eggs. A lot I read or watch suggest keeping new queens in a cubourd and only check on them every couple of weeks. I'm curious how many people don't do this and have success still? Also is there a recommended time that you can remove them and keep them out if you have chosen to store them away? Thinking of starting a journal so I will provide some photos in that if I decide to do one. Thanks in advance

[ANTS_KL]

I don't keep my queens in the dark and I expose them to light the moment I've set them up. I do this so they don't panic when I check on them. Makes photography easier too however I do keep sensitive ants like Carebara sp in the dark just to be sure.

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[Shazza]

Thanks for the reply, I get the feeling most people don't hide them away and still have good success. I may just leave her hidden for a few days to get over the transit

[ANTdrew]

Just put a towel or a piece of aluminum foil over the tube. No sweat. You can check pretty frequently like this by *gently* lifting up the cover, but there won’t be anything to see other than your queen huddled over some white things. Why not practice some self control?

[Shazza]

Thanks Andrew, yep understand she won't be doing a great deal. My only concern is she was captured in 2020 so if I assume she was captured in December she has gone 6 months so far with no food. I just wanted to monitor her for eating eggs as a sign of her being hungry. Self control I can do if needed 😁

Edited by Shazza, June 23 2021 - 6:29 PM.

[JamesJohnson]

Queen ants eating eggs is more closely linked to too much stress more than hunger, and one of the best ways to stress a queen ant out is by not covering them.

[Shazza]

Copy that, covering and I will check her once a week. Is there a a recoomended time in colony population when it is safe to uncover?

[JamesJohnson]

When their founding ends, so when the second generation or so ecloses.

[ANTS_KL]

Wait it stresses them out? I understand that for Carebara and the sensitive ants but I even got my Crematogaster sp which are known as serial egg eaters to found without eating her eggs. And no cover!

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[ANTdrew]

The Crematogaster egg eating thing is a big myth. They are some of the least skittish queens during founding.

[Kaelwizard]

The Crematogaster egg eating thing is a big myth. They are some of the least skittish queens during founding.

I can vouch for this. The Crematogaster queens I find are always super chill compared to other genera.

[ANTS_KL]

The Crematogaster egg eating thing is a big myth. They are some of the least skittish queens during founding.

Hmmm, learnt something new! Thanks! Gotta write that down in my notebook now. But the thing is that in my experience, if you cover a queen, they won't tolerate light if you remove the cover.

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[SYUTEO]

 

The Crematogaster egg eating thing is a big myth. They are some of the least skittish queens during founding.

I can vouch for this. The Crematogaster queens I find are always super chill compared to other genera.

 

Really!? My Crematogaster queen keeps eating her eggs despite not being disturbed.

[Shazza]

I think every one has different experiences and opinions on what works and does not work. The same can be said regarding feeding a founding queen i am learning. I think like a lot of hobbies do what works for you?

Edited by Shazza, June 25 2021 - 1:35 AM.

[Kaelwizard]

I think every one has different experiences and opinions on what works and does not work. The same can be said regarding feeding a founding queen i am learning. I think like a lot of hobbies do what works for you?

Well about the feeding a founding queen part, fully claustral queens don't need to eat, but some people say that giving them a drop of sugar water or honey can give them a "boost." Semi-claustral queens on the other hand absolutely need food during founding or they will die.

[Shazza]

I think every one has different experiences and opinions on what works and does not work. The same can be said regarding feeding a founding queen i am learning. I think like a lot of hobbies do what works for you?

Well about the feeding a founding queen part, fully claustral queens don't need to eat, but some people say that giving them a drop of sugar water or honey can give them a "boost." Semi-claustral queens on the other hand absolutely need food during founding or they will die.

Ye she is fully claustral so she should be fine hopefully. Even though I am guessing but it will be 7 months with no food once the first worker arrives

[cap_backfire]

I think every one has different experiences and opinions on what works and does not work. The same can be said regarding feeding a founding queen i am learning. I think like a lot of hobbies do what works for you?

This is something I find to be true for EVERY hobby.  Granted, there are DEFINITELY some wrong ways to keep our animals, but pretty much every keeper has variations on a theme that really work for them.   
What I LOVE about this hobby is that there's no real reason to NOT share "Trade Secrets" as they are basically not financially beneficial to anyone else (Perhaps with building formicariums, but that's about it, and even those people almost bend over backwards to help you with questions you have about rearing ants.