918 replies to this topic

[Bmorobbie]

I’ve tried digging into some founding chambers, or at least what I think are founding chambers and haven’t been able to locate any queens. Does anyone have any tips for doing it that way? I’ve been doing it the way of the forum thread however there are tons of ants in them. I’m guessing I’m not actually hitting one right after it’s been made as they seem like we established colonies.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

look under logs/rocks for Lasius, break open logs for Lasius/Camponotus/Formica, if you find any workers, trace them back to their nest and place a flat stone over the nest entrance. Check every other day or so to collect workers and eventually, the queen, as they will want to nest under the rock due to the heat and darkness (Ant_Dude told me this trap). I have to applaud your simile ANTdrew, however must counter with my own; If our summers in Illinois were like our winters, it would make Death Valley look like a toy oven. 

[ANTdrew]

Please be patient and don’t dig up colonies from the wild. Raising a single queen you collected is far more rewarding and less harmful to the ecosystem. I guarantee you will find some queens if you are vigilant.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

I concur with what ANTdrew has stated, it would be illogical to dig up a mature colony because it is more rewarding, you can't have nuptial flights indoors, and you won't be spending as much from the start and will have the colony much longer without stressing out the older queen! So there are many benefits to raising a colony from a single queen vs. capturing a mature colony. 

[RVAOsprey]

Alright boys sorry for the poor quality of photo. Going to let her relax before I work on the setup. But here’s what I’m looking at. Under bark at 12pm. I’m currently in the mountains of NC (explanation at end of post). So not technically Virginia relevant. However geographically close and I will say that it’s colder here than in Richmond. She’s got a few (4-5) workers and appears healthy. Any advice for next steps would be appreciated but may be more appropriate in a different thread. My first queen!

[RVAOsprey]

Sorry forgot explanation! My girlfriend and I are using her grandfathers unused cabin in North Carolina whiles he’s quarantined in New Orleans. We figured getting out of the city would be nice and there are less people around here for the disease

[ANTdrew]

I can barely make anything out. What size is the queen? General coloaration and appearance?

[RVAOsprey]

Appears to be all black or very dark. Some light striping on the gaster. Mesosoma is smooth like a typical camponotus (compared to the ridges of a Formica). Size is about half an inch or more, hard to say exactly but maybe close to most of an inch.
Right now there’s some wood dust from where I found her in the tube. Think I should remove? Hard to take pictures.

Pretty confident it’s a Camponotus pennsylvanicus. but hard to say as I’m not confident in the less common subtypes

Edited by RVAOsprey, April 11 2020 - 9:19 AM.

[ANTdrew]

C. pennsylvanicus sounds like a good bet. You have a small first year colony. You could keep them in a test tube with an outworld, but a Tarheel Ants mini-hearth would be ideal.

[RVAOsprey]

Sounds like a plan to me. In the short term, at this stage does she need to be fed? I can’t really tell how old she is.

I’ve given her one “kernel” of a raspberry as that’s what I have on hand.

Edited by RVAOsprey, April 11 2020 - 10:00 AM.

[RushmoreAnts]

These do not need to be fed during the founding stage. However, if there are some workers hiding in that photo somewhere, you should definitely feed them.

[RVAOsprey]

Youve got the right idea. There are 4 workers I believe. I put a little whey protein mix in there per the care sheet. I’m trying to disrupt them as little as possible but I’m not sure how critical that is compared to pre-worker

[RushmoreAnts]

You should still give them some carbs, too. Privacy isn't as critical at this stage, but it's still best and recommended. 

[ANTdrew]

She is not a founding queen if she has four workers, and Camponotus are generally very chill ants. Read the care sheet on here and treat her accordingly. The key will be providing nectar, a steady amount of insect proteins, humidity and plenty of warmth.

[RVAOsprey]

Thanks for the advice guys. I brought my reptile heating cord 15w so the heat should be good. I’m digging around for food mentioned on the sheet at the moment. I appreciate all the advice!

Edited by RVAOsprey, April 11 2020 - 11:08 AM.

[Bmorobbie]

What do you guys think of the conditions today? 75 degrees here in Norfolk with 83 degrees and rain tomorrow? Any chance there will be flights this evening?

[ANTdrew]

75 is not enough. Tomorrow is promising.

[Cblake113]

Went out last night. It was 74 degrees in Hampton around 10:30pm. Found 1 queen camponotus nova on a wood fence next to a street light. It was suck a beautiful night I thought we would have found more! Just have to wait some more!

[ANTdrew]

Awesome! Are you sure it wasn't chromaiodes?

[Cblake113]

Awesome! Are you sure it wasn't chromaiodes?

Yea she is 3/8 inches long. Here are some pics I just took of her.

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