3 replies to this topic

[futurebird]

I've noticed a pattern with my camponotus sp. ants. They often reserve one room of their nest just for "trash" it's mostly half eaten crickets and fruit flies and it's not clear if they are still working on eating them or not.

 

I've also noticed that ... from time to time they will clean out the room. Dump all the trash. Mostly after I feed them a bunch of fresh killed bugs. Almost as if they are feeling like they have enough in their gasters that picking over the trash isn't worth it. Has anyone else noticed this? I've seen it with my penns and with my discolor colony. 

 

 

[T.C.]

I always pin the insects down in their foraging area so they don't drag the insects into the nest. Otherwise your risking the chance of mold.

[Canadant]

Love the formicarium! Mine did that, but as space became premium it was cleaned up and dumped outside. I think that's the case for certain ant species. Some are just cleaner than others.

[ConcordAntman]

For the most part, I’ve noticed my Camponotus sp are pretty fastidious. My almost 4 year old C. pennsylvanicus colony created a dedicated trash heap in a corner of their outworld at the 2 year point. My C. novaeboracensis are in an AntsCanada setup with 2 test tubes connected to a portal. The portal serves as a feeding chamber. They’ve made one test tube the garbage dump yet keep their habitat clean. With a solid substrate to my outworlds, I haven’t pinned feeder insects. So far, I’ve been able to avoid mold by using forceps and an aspirator to clean the outworld and nest.