6 replies to this topic

[Dinuvar]

Having trouble with my C. Fragilis. 

 

Got a queen + 3 workers and some brood in October.  Down to Queen + 1 worker and some brood now.  Have always had some eggs/larvae, at varying sizes/development.  The problem is getting them to stick around long enough to hatch (or to get a good number of them). 

 

Previously tried feeding d. hydei (flightless fruit flies), but the store I found for them was a bit expensive and couldn't get them to last very long.  They were interested at first, but then got bored after a while.  Currently feeding a tiny store-bought cricket 1-2x a week and some ByFormica ant nectar.  Previously tried feeding every 2 days and at a different time 1x a week (in case the feeding was stressful).  I do carry the formicarium to the next room when I feed/clean so that might be a bit of vibration.  Currently, I am killing the cricket before feeding.  While a small, live cricket with its back legs removed got them interested, I was concerned that stress might have been the problem with the failure to thrive.   

 

Have been keeping in Drew's starter formicarium since easy to drop in and remove food.  Moved them recently after had some mild mold in the old one (mild compared to some of the photos I have seen posted by other keepers).

 

Any thoughts?  More protein?  Fewer feedings to reduce stress? Different Food?

 

Edit: 7/26/21 Update.  Switched to the recipe for bloodworm soup on these forums.  After a week, I had three of the existing brood reach the pupae stage!  That was a first for this colony.  Fast forward to today, and two of them have hatched!  On track for growth!  Taking another look at heating cables instead of heating pad. 

Edited by Dinuvar, July 26 2021 - 11:11 AM.

[Ecan]

Try giving them a heating cable.

[OhNoNotAgain]

Yes, if you're not heating, you probably should be heating.

[Queen]

Having trouble with my C. Fragilis. 

 

Got a queen + 3 workers and some brood in October.  Down to Queen + 1 worker and some brood now.  Have always had some eggs/larvae, at varying sizes/development.  The problem is getting them to stick around long enough to hatch (or to get a good number of them). 

 

Previously tried feeding d. hydei (flightless fruit flies), but the store I found for them was a bit expensive and couldn't get them to last very long.  They were interested at first, but then got bored after a while.  Currently feeding a tiny store-bought cricket 1-2x a week and some ByFormica ant nectar.  Previously tried feeding every 2 days and at a different time 1x a week (in case the feeding was stressful).  I do carry the formicarium to the next room when I feed/clean so that might be a bit of vibration.  Currently, I am killing the cricket before feeding.  While a small, live cricket with its back legs removed got them interested, I was concerned that stress might have been the problem with the failure to thrive.   

 

Have been keeping in Drew's starter formicarium since easy to drop in and remove food.  Moved them recently after had some mild mold in the old one (mild compared to some of the photos I have seen posted by other keepers).

 

Any thoughts?  More protein?  Fewer feedings to reduce stress? Different Food?

 

1-2 cricket a week for 1 queen and 1 worker, am I reading this correctly? If so, that seems like it's a lot to me... my colony grew from 6 to 8 workers and I still feed them a pin head size red runner once a week.

 

From my observations of my own C. fragilis:

They are nocturnal so I don't disturb them at all during the day and only observe seldomly during the night. I have a red film to block off light and keep them in a draw/cabinet with heat cable. They seem to be doing really well. I always leave water and sugar water available. My routine for changing water, sugar water, and giving protein is once a week Friday night. 

[ANTdrew]

Keep them really warm and feed everyday. Figure out a way to not be carrying them around all the time. Fat ants are happy ants.

[Chickalo]

If I remember correctly Camponotus has egg laying periods, lay in spring which become summer brood and then in fall and overwinter it, coming out in spring.  Giving them heat will allow them to grow faster, experiment with foods and see which they like best.

[Dinuvar]

As an update, I switched their food over to the recipe for bloodworm soup that is on these forums.  Within a week, I had three pupae! My brood never reached that stage before. A week later, I had a fourth. 

 

Fast forward several weeks to today, when I noticed that two of the pupae had hatched.  We are back to two workers!  They are still fairly small, but it's nice to see how much of a change the population has been.  It's amazing how much of a difference the bloodworm soup made and it makes me wonder if using water to re-hydrate other dried insects, or even freshly killed insects, might make them more appealing to the ants.

 

I currently have a heating pad that is off to the side, with the idea that it will generally heat up the small cabinet space without causing anything too extreme.  I will take another look at a heating cable, but I wasn't really sure where to have it touch the formicarium (Drew's starter Formicarium with the water underneath).