July 20, 2024: A Returning Colony
Missed keeping these ants so much ever since my queen died randomly years ago. They were one of my older colonies so it was disheartening seeing them gone. When I saw they were available on AntopiaUSA, I knew I had to get them.
Surprisingly I never made a journal on that colony. Here is a playlist of them on my YT instead.
They were packaged very well and came in an insulated box along with a few other colonies I got. The test tubes had damp cotton balls to prevent leaking during shipment, so I will have to transfer them sometime. At the time, they had 3 cocoons, 4 larvae, and 1 egg. If they're anything like my previous colony, growth should be fairly fast next season.
July 28, 2024: First Generation
2 more workers have hatched! Also noticed two red dots on the queen's wing scars. Not sure if its mites, but I'm remaining hopeful and going with leftover wing tissue.
August 19, 2024: Entering The Tubs & Tubes
November 11, 2024: Winter Arc
It's officially winter now, and their growth has halted. Right now with 5 workers and 2 larvae, the queen is still in her main test tube while the workers interchange between the newer ones for water. I'm keeping them in the corner of my shelf along with my other Carpenter ant colonies completely undisturbed.
Edited by Ender Ants, November 11 2024 - 4:14 AM.