8 replies to this topic

[MichiganAnts]

how much water do you put in your omni nest? i was doing 3 pipits 1 side, 6 on the other but I'm not sure how much to really put. this is an Omni Nest Large

[Californian Anter]

I send one full pipette's worth of water into 2 holes of one side. Then again I have Camponotus.

[MichiganAnts]

mine are Camponotus aswell. so you only 2 pipettes on 1 side?

[Serafine]

Most Camponotus are rather dry-loving.

[MichiganAnts]

ok ill cut down on the watering, i was doing 3 on 1 side 6 on the other with a heating cable crossing over the nest diagonally 

[Serafine]

Camponotus should have a hydrated and a unhydrated side of the nest. They usually like to dump their cocooned pupae at warm dry places.

[MichiganAnts]

Camponotus should have a hydrated and a unhydrated side of the nest. They usually like to dump their cocooned pupae at warm dry places.

ok ill only water 1 side then, thanks alot

[Serafine]

If they all gather on the hydrated side of the nest you know you can hydrate the other side again (and depending on how close they are to the sponge you can tell if it's too moist or too dry - when they all clump on the outmost centimeters of the formicarium it needs more water).

Most Camponotus are rather dry-loving (they put eggs and larvae on the moist side and pupae on the dry side - actually they often even put the pupae into satellite nests if those are warmer) but not all of them. Just watch them closely and see what they do.

 

You could also offer them some coconut fibers or cotton (or sand/small pebbles), they will often drag these into the formicarium to make some sort of nest for the larvae. They should generally have some sand or fine earth particles as the larvae like to use these as part of their cocoons.

Edited by Serafine, January 5 2017 - 12:21 AM.

[MichiganAnts]

If they all gather on the hydrated side of the nest you know you can hydrate the other side again (and depending on how close they are to the sponge you can tell if it's too moist or too dry - when they all clump on the outmost centimeters of the formicarium it needs more water).

Most Camponotus are rather dry-loving (they put eggs and larvae on the moist side and pupae on the dry side - actually they often even put the pupae into satellite nests if those are warmer) but not all of them. Just watch them closely and see what they do.

 

You could also offer them some coconut fibers or cotton (or sand/small pebbles), they will often drag these into the formicarium to make some sort of nest for the larvae. They should generally have some sand or fine earth particles as the larvae like to use these as part of their cocoons.

ill give them some cotton to play with thanks!