32 replies to this topic

[Michaelofvancouver]

So, I found this queen back at the beginning of May. Here's a pic from right after I caught her.

 

 

I'm quite surprised by how fast her brood has been developing, she has medium/large larvae already! I think her brood is actually a little faster than my Lasius queens from last year!

 

 

 

I have pretty high hopes for this queen, since she's the only non-Lasius queen I've caught in my anting "career". I love the size of these ants, no more squinting to check up on the brood! 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

[LAnt]

What is she in?
 

[Michaelofvancouver]

She's in a two-story Haven. 

When do you think her colony would get big enough to need a bigger formicarium? Hopefully not in the next 2 years, since I have already used up my budget for anting (until I get a job). 

[Crystals]

Cut some grass or shovel some snow for the elderly.    That was my spending money growing up.  Probably 3 years before they outgrow the formicarium, but Camponotus simply send extra workers to create outposts in the outworld.

[dermy]

My neighbor asked me to cut his grass, if you want you can .

 

Looks really good, hope she does well, I missed the flights I think .

[Michaelofvancouver]

Dermy: Awww, maybe you can still find one by peeling the bark on rotting trees.

 

Crystals: Our townhouse complex has staff members who mow all the lawns. As for snow, there's a few months to go before that happens again! 

[dermy]

Yeah, don't get me started on winter again

[LAnt]

 Our townhouse complex has staff members who mow all the lawns.

 

THAT'S CRAZY! 

[Michaelofvancouver]

LOL, why is it crazy? They get paid with rent money. 

 

I have noticed some very weird behavior with this queen. She seems to have a craving for water! Everytime I moisturize her nest, she runs around to wherever the water is, and starts "licking" it. Once, I even sprayed water on the outworld portion of her Haven, and she ran outside just to drink water!

Any thoughts on this behavior?

[Crystals]

She is thirsty.

Try keeping the humidity higher or have some water for her to drink in the outworld.  You don't want her to get dehydrated.

[Michaelofvancouver]

I moisturize the haven every 2 days. Is that not often enough?

[Mads]

If she keeps running around and drinking water droplets every time you add water then it needs to be done more often, or you need to add more at a time.

 

Mads

[dermy]

I think you need a better watering system if she is drinking that much! What is the amount of water absorbed by the Y-tong?

[Michaelofvancouver]

Almost all of it is absorbed by the Ytong. I spray half a syringe of water in each watering hole every time. I think the problem is that one of the watering holes isn't working properly, so only half of the nest is ever moisturized at a time.

Edited by Michaelofvancouver, June 7 2014 - 10:54 AM.

[Cole]

Hi Michael do you mind if I ask you where you get the ytong to build your nests? I can't seem to find it anywhere.

[LAnt]

Read the thread

[Crystals]

Read the thread

Chances are he is not familiar enough with the ant community to know that "Haven" is a pre-built ytong nest from TarHeelAnts.

 

Cole, he bought the nest from another person.  Tarheelants.com does sell ytong, but shipping costs can kill.  Firebrick (K-23 refractory brick) is a similar material that is much easier to find, just ask the local pottery places.

[Cole]

Okay, cool. Thanks.

[Michaelofvancouver]

This queen now has pupae! 
Yesterday morning, I saw that the queen has dragged some sand from the outworld into her nest.

 
She was also moving her brood around a lot more.

 
I went shopping during the day, and when I came back in the afternoon, I saw that my queen had her first 2 pupae!

 
 
Wow! This queen has gone from egg to pupa in a month! That's actually faster than my Lasius colony from last year. So much for slow growth.    

[Mathiacus]

Wow. She is a beauty! I am happy to see her going so well. Did you get your moisture problem sorted?

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