4 replies to this topic

[TwistyPunch]

Hi, I am planning to catch some Camponotus queens this nuptial flight season (americanus and pennsylvanicus are abundant in our area) and I'm wondering if I should be putting a sandy sort of substrate into the test tube founding chamber to make it seem more natural. From what I've read this can be beneficial for Camponotus species, but is not a necessary step. Has anyone tried it out and had benificial results? Thanks!

[bmb1bee]

Camponotus will do completely fine without substrate in their test tubes. Just a plain old test tube should suffice.

[TwistyPunch]

Thanks! The first ant colony that I kept was Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, and it seemed like they HAD to have Substrate in the tube. I was just wondering if it was the same with Camponotus

[bmb1bee]

Pogonomyrmex don't need substrate in their tubes either, though people still put it in anyway. What they do need are seeds though, so sometimes people will add enough seeds to almost make a layer over the bottom of the tube.

[TwistyPunch]

Yes, because they're semi-claustral. I skipped the seed bed step and just made a tubs and tubes setup so the queen could forage.