16 replies to this topic

[Kharnac]

Hi guys today I received my first ant colony but I'm pretty sure the salesman sent me a different ant than the one I picked. So the first picture is the ant I wanted to buy 2nd and 3rd pictures are the ants I received. I called in and he said to wait a couple of months since the queen is only 2 months old and it will change as the weather warms up. Any thoughts?
If they are in fact different species can you tell me the name of each?

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[antsriondel]

Yeah the Queen you got is some type of Pogonomyrmex, most likely Pogonomyrmex occidentalis.

[bmb1bee]

They are in fact two different species. The first picture looks like Camponotus us-ca02, which is a species of carpenter ant. The second and third pictures are Pogonomyrmex rugosus. These are completely different and eat seeds. Did you send pictures of them to the vendor? It could be a mistake, but if it isn't then you should make it clear to them.

[Manitobant]

Yeah if its not a mistake than it’s likely you got scammed. CA02 are worth a lot more money than pogonomyrmex.


If it is a mistake at least ask him to refund the extra money.

[Locness]

Sorry you got scammed, try buying from reputable dealers here in the future. Who sold you it?

[T.C.]

"the queen is only 2 months old"   I'm genuinely curious what he meant by that.  As others have suggested, I recommend finding reputable sellers here or buy from statesideants.com. Camponotus and Pogonomyrmex are very different species. Regardless of a persons experience in the hobby, it would be hard to mix these two up.  

[gcsnelling]

Whoever sold those to you apparently does not know their backside from a hole in the ground. His line about they will change as the weather warms up is complete horse crap.  I agree that appears to be P. rugosus. My two other concerns are what's with the blue goo and the humidity appears to be awfully high.

[LowQualityAnts]

The blue is a mold resistant sponge

[gcsnelling]

If the sponge or whatever it is, is actually mold resistant that means it is likely chemical treated and probably not good for the ants, and as i mentioned that tube looks far too wet.

[dspdrew]

 
I'm dying to know who this vendor is. He was definitely blowing smoke up your @ss. P. rugosus don't fly in December, and they most certainly don't morph into Camponotus three times their size when the weather warms up.
 
 

If the sponge or whatever it is, is actually mold resistant that means it is likely chemical treated and probably not good for the ants, and as i mentioned that tube looks far too wet.

 
That just looks like the usual blue PVA sponges that everybody is using these days. They actually work amazingly well compared to cotton.

[LowQualityAnts]

Most sellers use the sponges for arid species so I'm pretty sure they arent toxic

[T.C.]

 

If the sponge or whatever it is, is actually mold resistant that means it is likely chemical treated and probably not good for the ants, and as i mentioned that tube looks far too wet.

 
That just looks like the usual blue PVA sponges that everybody is using these days. They actually work amazingly well compared to cotton.

 

 

And i'm in the dark where everybody gets them.

Edited by T.C., January 20 2023 - 8:24 PM.

[Locness]

 

And i'm in the dark where everybody gets them.

 

 

Search up test tube sponge on ebay. They work incredibly well and are superior during shipping. 

[gcsnelling]

Cotton sucks, so if these work better great.

[Manitobant]

It seems like these sponges are mainly used in the californian community for some reason. Rarely see em anywhere else.

[dspdrew]

Cotton sucks, so if these work better great.

 

Oh it's unbelievable how much better they work. The test tubes will go for months with absolutely no mold at all. There's no cotton strands for the ants to pull on and get all tangled up in stuff. I've had species that I would get maybe a 20 percent success rate at go to like 90. Haven't measured it exactly, but it sure seems like the water in them evaporates slower too.

[rptraut]

I already use sponges in various ways in ant keeping so I was interested when someone left a link in another topic to a site on Amazon where you can buy the test tube sponges.  They come in various sizes and amounts, but my problem was that I use many sizes of tubes depending on the size of the queen I'm setting up.  I didn't want to buy a bag for every size test tube I use.   I went to the Dollar Store and got fine-grained cosmetic sponges and trimmed one to shape with scissors and put it in a test tube with water.  It's been sitting on my work bench now for a week as a test and there appears to be no leakage and the sponge is still wet.   Also, I think I'll use a sponge to close the open end of the test tube once I get a queen in there.  I can see this being much more sanitary than cotton.

 

For two years now I have been using something similar with a sponge to water my large Camponotus colony.  I just used a small plastic bottle with a cap.  I cut the top off the cap and siliconed the threaded part into a hole in the see through cover of the formicarium with the open or cut side down.  I cut a piece of kitchen sponge and put it into the open end of the bottle, so no water came out when the bottle was turned upside down and a small amount of the sponge stuck out of the opening (this is where the ants can drink).  Then I screwed it into the cap in the cover of the formicarium.  I had previously glued a water bowl under that spot so the sponge just touched the bottom of it and the bowl wouldn't overflow.  The water bowl is made of wood, so it soaks up water and humidifies the air while providing water for the ants.  Another advantage to this system is that the bottle sits up above the formicarium, so I can see at a distance that they have water and that can be comforting when I check them on a really hot day as my colony is in a greenhouse.  I can also visually monitor the amount they use and confirm that the system is working properly. 

 

I also use sponges in the bottoms of my small founding formicaria as they hold a lot of water and yet little ants can't drown in it.  Check out the cosmetics section, there are a lot of really useful sponges there.