14 replies to this topic

[robyn13572]

I've had my 2 Camponotus pennsylvania colonies for over 2 years now, but I still only have the first set of nanetics? How is this possible? My first colony has 3 workers and a pile of brood, and the second only has one worker and one or two eggs. I feed them a half of a mealworm and a honey-water mixture. Please help!

[ANTdrew]

What temperature do you keep them at? It sounds to me like they are not warm enough to develop.

[Stubyvast]

Wow...can Nanitics even live that long?? Yep it's likely something to do with your temperature. If it's too low, ants will grow reaaalllly slowly, or not at all. You can probably boost their food intake to a whole mealworm every four days or so, until the next generation arrives. 

[robyn13572]

What temperature do you keep them at? It sounds to me like they are not warm enough to develop.

Oh! Yeah, that's probably the issue! Thanks

 

Wow...can Nanitics even live that long?? Yep it's likely something to do with your temperature. If it's too low, ants will grow reaaalllly slowly, or not at all. You can probably boost their food intake to a whole mealworm every four days or so, until the next generation arrives. 

I'm surprised they've lived this long too!! I'll definitely move them somewhere warmer

[rptraut]

Hello Robyn 13572;

 

Your colonies will need protein as well as heat in order to grow.    I wrote about the things I fed one of my colonies here:   Results From Two Feeding Experiments by RPT - General Ant Keeping - Ants & Myrmecology Forum (formiculture.com).   My Camponotus pennsylvanicus founding colonies aren't really that fond of mealworms, so I feed them cricket pieces and flies, not fruit flies, just regular house, greenbottle and bluebottle flies.   I also feed them cooked chicken and liver, raw pork and cooked egg yolk.   Might as well get them used to eating it right from the start.   Fewer insects means less trash!   I feed founding colonies every other day and then every six days out of seven as the colony gets bigger.   My ants accept a wide variety of foods and I'm sure the diversity is good for their health.  

 

Supply them with sugar/water in a l:3 (some say 1:4) ratio, even if it's just on a small cotton ball or piece of sponge.    Honey as a food for ants just seems to me to be too full of potential risks like pesticides and fermentation/spoilage in the feeder.   I just use sugar.  They also need fresh drinking water at all times.    A heated colony will dry more quickly than a cooler one, so they may need additional hydration.   

Mine prefer a nest on the dry side. 

 

Good luck with them.

RPT

[Mushu]

I’m starting to realize this is not an uncommon situation for Camponotus, especially species that need diapause.

If you were not heating them, that could be a reason. If you did not enter diapause and long enough, they may also grow slowly. Sometimes it’s just the queen. Provided everything else is in check those appear to be the common issues for stunted growth.

Edited by Mushu, August 9 2024 - 9:17 PM.

[RushmoreAnts]

 

 

Wow...can Nanitics even live that long?? Yep it's likely something to do with your temperature. If it's too low, ants will grow reaaalllly slowly, or not at all. You can probably boost their food intake to a whole mealworm every four days or so, until the next generation arrives. 

I'm surprised they've lived this long too!! I'll definitely move them somewhere warmer

 

If workers are not in constant danger of being eaten by predators, constantly performing strenuous tasks and traveling long distances they can in fact last a very long time. The 'workers die after a couple months' schtick applies to wild workers who do get killed all the time and are overworked and underfed. Captivity is the good life for your average worker.

[robyn13572]

I've had my 2 Camponotus pennsylvania colonies for over 2 years now, but I still only have the first set of nanetics? How is this possible? My first colony has 3 workers and a pile of brood, and the second only has one worker and one or two eggs. I feed them a half of a mealworm and a honey-water mixture. Please help!

I added a heat lamp and changed what room of my house they're in since last posting. The eggs still don't seem to be developing. They have plenty of food, as the workers clearly have food in their social stomachs. Also, one of the colonies (the one who previously only had one nanetic left) has lost it's last nanetic.

What do I do?

[Ants_Dakota]

 

I've had my 2 Camponotus pennsylvania colonies for over 2 years now, but I still only have the first set of nanetics? How is this possible? My first colony has 3 workers and a pile of brood, and the second only has one worker and one or two eggs. I feed them a half of a mealworm and a honey-water mixture. Please help!

I added a heat lamp and changed what room of my house they're in since last posting. The eggs still don't seem to be developing. They have plenty of food, as the workers clearly have food in their social stomachs. Also, one of the colonies (the one who previously only had one nanetic left) has lost it's last nanetic.

What do I do?

 

Likely the colony is winding down for diapause right now, so there is little you can do but get them ready to be put in some sort of cooling system, possibly a fridge, mini fridge, or garage that gets down to around 50 degrees F. Next year spring is when you will see growth again. I will warn you, colonies that are very behind their usual growth will often be far more cautious about growing fast, at least in my experience.

[robyn13572]

I've had my 2 Camponotus pennsylvania colonies for over 2 years now, but I still only have the first set of nanetics? How is this possible? My first colony has 3 workers and a pile of brood, and the second only has one worker and one or two eggs. I feed them a half of a mealworm and a honey-water mixture. Please help!

I added a heat lamp and changed what room of my house they're in since last posting. The eggs still don't seem to be developing. They have plenty of food, as the workers clearly have food in their social stomachs. Also, one of the colonies (the one who previously only had one nanetic left) has lost it's last nanetic.

What do I do?

Likely the colony is winding down for diapause right now, so there is little you can do but get them ready to be put in some sort of cooling system, possibly a fridge, mini fridge, or garage that gets down to around 50 degrees F. Next year spring is when you will see growth again. I will warn you, colonies that are very behind their usual growth will often be far more cautious about growing fast, at least in my experience.

What do I do if I don't have anywhere cool to put them?

[ANTdrew]

Make space in your refrigerator or buy a mini-fridge/ wine cooler. If you live in a cold area, you can also hibernate ants in unheated parts of your house.

[RushmoreAnts]

If you live in a cold area, you can also hibernate ants in unheated parts of your house.

That depends on how cold 'cold' is. I live in a cold area, and I wouldn't even consider putting my ants in an unheated part of my house. Negative 20 F isn't exactly healthy for ants. It gets that cold frequently in January here, as with much of the upper Midwest.

Edited by RushmoreAnts, October 4 2024 - 10:00 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Good point. Common sense needs to be used.

[robyn13572]

I have an update! Upon further inspection, the eggs ARE maturing!! At least one of them has shown significant growth! Hurry for heat lamp power!

[ANTdrew]

If you are comfortable in the room, your ants are not. Hurray for heat!