16 replies to this topic

[TennesseeAnts]

So most ant keepers say camponotus spp. do not have more than one queen per nest. I thought so too. Until, I read this...https://en.wikipedia...i/Carpenter_ant (scroll down until you reach Oligogyny)

[T.C.]

I had a Camponotous colony with three queens once. They just stayed in seperate part of the nests generally. It's not uncommon as I have seen it a few times myself and in others videos/journals.

[Ants_Texas]

I had a Camponotous colony with three queens once. They just stayed in seperate part of the nests generally. It's not uncommon as I have seen it a few times myself and in others videos/journals.

nurbs also has a three queen colony. 

[AnthonyP163]

So most ant keepers say camponotus spp. do not have more than one queen per nest. I thought so too. Until, I read this...https://en.wikipedia...i/Carpenter_ant (scroll down until you reach Oligogyny)

I believe that sometimes C. castaneus and C. vicinus can sometimes have multiple queens in a colony.

[TennesseeAnts]

Next year I am trying this with any extras I have!

[KBant]

i think everyone knew this... how exactly did it change how you think of carpenter ants?

[TennesseeAnts]

I always thought of them as monogynus.

[Mettcollsuss]

Does this work with all Camponotus? The ones near me are C. pennsylvanicus and C. herculeanus.

[TennesseeAnts]

It would appear so...

[Serafine]

The interesting part isn't actually the oligynity but the fact that this should make an adoption very easy if a queen dies.

[Vendayn]

Does this work with all Camponotus? The ones near me are C. pennsylvanicus and C. herculeanus.

Keep the queens separate. Either that or it isn't actually ALL of them.

 

Years ago (10+ years ago) I found two Camponotus modoc queens outside Yosemite (Northern California), on the way back home. Not having any proper container (cause there wasn't going to be any anting in Yosemite, so didn't bother taking anything. Its a protected park, so didn't plan finding any queens at all that I could take)...anyway...so I put both Camponotus modoc queens inside a water bottle since that was literally all I had.

 

I got home some hours later, and both queens had torn each other by half

[Mettcollsuss]

 

Does this work with all Camponotus? The ones near me are C. pennsylvanicus and C. herculeanus.

Keep the queens separate. Either that or it isn't actually ALL of them.

 

Years ago (10+ years ago) I found two Camponotus modoc queens outside Yosemite (Northern California), on the way back home. Not having any proper container (cause there wasn't going to be any anting in Yosemite, so didn't bother taking anything. Its a protected park, so didn't plan finding any queens at all that I could take)...anyway...so I put both Camponotus modoc queens inside a water bottle since that was literally all I had.

 

I got home some hours later, and both queens had torn each other by half

 

Yikes.

[Mdrogun]

It would appear so...

The vast majority of Camponotus in North America are not Polygynous. 

Does this work with all Camponotus? The ones near me are C. pennsylvanicus and C. herculeanus

Neither C. pennsylvanicus or C. herculeanus are polygynous.

[Batspiderfish]

Members of the Camponotus subgenus of Camponotus (i.e. C. modoc, C. novaeboracensis, C. pennsylvanicus, C. herculeanus) have very large colonies in the wild (on top of being large ants, themselves). Even though some of these are polygynous, there would be no good reason to keep more than one queen in captivity. Responsible hobbyists should not take on bigger challenges than they may accommodate for, in the long-term -- the space requirements for such a Camponotus colony are significant.

[StopSpazzing]

Members of the Camponotus subgenus of Camponotus (i.e. C. modoc, C. novaeboracensis, C. pennsylvanicus, C. herculeanus) have very large colonies in the wild (on top of being large ants, themselves). Even though some of these are polygynous, there would be no good reason to keep more than one queen in captivity. Responsible hobbyists should not take on bigger challenges than they may accommodate for, in the long-term -- the space requirements for such a Camponotus colony are significant.

Well said.

[Serafine]

There's quite a lot of Camponotus species that don't grow to such ridiculous colony sizes but just to a few hundred workers (Camponotus turkestanus for example or Camponotus rufoglacus feae). However those species probably won't accept additional queens.

[nurbs]

 

I had a Camponotous colony with three queens once. They just stayed in seperate part of the nests generally. It's not uncommon as I have seen it a few times myself and in others videos/journals.

nurbs also has a three queen colony. 

 

 

Had several C. vicinus with three queens (sold one, down to two), and two remaining colonies with two queens. They are the C. vicinus RED variety. 

 

Interestingly, the BLACK variety of C. vicinus do not get along and tear each other apart after they get workers or when you try to place them together. It's as if the REDS and the BLACKS were different species, but when you key them out they are all C. vicinus. I find this both odd and fascinating. 

 

C. vicinus are the only species here in CA that are polygynous --- or so I thought! Then the other week, was reading a research PDF on another Camponotus species in CA that was also found to have multiple queens in the wild. I won't say which species (it's not your usual suspects), but I am going to try and rear them next season with multiple queens.