8 replies to this topic

[IdioticMouse26]

I have a founding stage carpenter ant colony with over 10+ workers and plenty of brood. I've recently given them an outworld, but I don't see them outside at all and they keep blocking the entrance with whatever materials they can find. 

Does this mean they're not ready for an outworld yet? How many workers should a colony have until an outworld is given?

[GOCAMPONOTUS]

ITs up to them they will go when ready.

[rptraut]

Hello IdioticMouse26;

 

I've gone through this type of thing with my Camponotus pennsylvanicus founding colonies before.   At this point they're very happy to stay in the test tube.   When I give them an outworld at this stage, it's a bare minimum, small cube where I can give them their food without fear of escapes.   I see you live in BC, are these colonies from queens caught this year?   I have two queens I caught in June.   They're in natural founding setups and I haven't seen any nanitics yet.   Usually, around here, a queen will produce six or seven nanitics the first year.   

 

 

 

When the first nanitics arrive, I hook up a small outworld to the test tube.   They will often block off the open end of the test tube, sometimes I do it for them with a piece of dried moss.   Some people insert a piece of drinking straw between the cotton and the side of the test tube to restrict the opening.   It gives the ants a feeling of security and is perfectly normal.

 

At this stage my Camponotus nanitics don't do much foraging.   One, maybe two will come out for what I call a drive-by.   They cruise by the feeding tray to see what's new.   If nothing, they go back into the test tube and sometimes they don't come out for the rest of the day.   Usually, the commotion of feeding them is enough to trigger a drive-by.   They have storage capacity for quite a number of days in their stomachs, so if they don't get anything today, tomorrow will be fine.   Remember, slow growing..... 

 

My Camponotus ants overwinter with larvae.   That's basically all that remains to be done by the little colony before winter.   The queen will lay a batch of eggs.  Once they've turned into larvae, they're ready for diapause.   

 

 

 

I've overwintered founding Camponotus colonies in the test tube and in small all-in-one founding formicaria.   Both worked equally well.

Good Luck

RPT

 

[mete]

I experience the same with ~20 workers Messor barbarus colony which just moved from the test tube to the nest. They took some seeds from the outworld before and meanwhile blocked the tube connecting outworld to the nest.

[RushmoreAnts]

I have a founding stage carpenter ant colony with over 10+ workers and plenty of brood. I've recently given them an outworld, but I don't see them outside at all and they keep blocking the entrance with whatever materials they can find. 

Does this mean they're not ready for an outworld yet? How many workers should a colony have until an outworld is given?

They know when they need to forage. There's also a strong possibility that they are foraging when you're not looking, and either have a small entrance you can't see or seal if off when they're not foraging. It's perfectly natural, the entrances we humans make for them are far too large and create too much airflow inside the nest for small colonies. They will customize their nest entrance to the size that's best for them. Small colonies in the wild are vulnerable, and they need to seal off and hide their nests to protect themselves from predators, and other ant colonies.

[mete]

I also see at least one, sometimes up to 3 or so ants behind the sand-stone barrier. It looks like they are guarding.

[rptraut]

Hello mete;

 

Guarding is another clue that the barrier is all about security.   My larger Camponotus colonies build barriers and make "guard houses" in the places where tubes connect to an outworld or nest.   They check ants that come through the tube before they're allowed to enter.   

RPT 

[Stubyvast]

My Lasius do this too with their entrance, as they seem to like smaller holes for them to enter and exit by. However, I bet that camponotus like to forage at night a lot, so it's probably the case that you just don't see 'em. Maybe try dropping a fruit fly or something into their outworld and see if they bring it back to the nest the next day. This way you can check how they're doing!

[IdioticMouse26]

Thanks for all the advices! Right now, I've moved my colony back to a testube setup.