14 replies to this topic

[disasterants]

I just caught a Camponotus nearcticus and have about a million questions about how to keep her. Not even sure if she's claustral or semi. 

Edited by disasterants, May 18 2018 - 2:33 PM.

[KBant]

-Fully claustral. May give a drop of sugar water if you want but not needed.
-Leave in a test tube setup, do no disturb or peek for a month.
-Make sure it’s dark.
-Put a heating cable or heating mat at the end of the test tube and NOT over the whole test tube. You want to offer the queen a gradient so she can self regulate how much heat to expose herself and her eggs to. If you don’t have a heating cable don’t worry, it’s not required but will help your ants develop faster.
-A day or two after your first worker ecloses, give them a drop of sugar water in the test tube. A day or two later you can try offering a cricket leg/head.
-After your first worker it’s important to have a heating source or your colony won’t develop fast or at all.
-Diet once the colony has a worker: sugar water, equal amounts in volume water and sugar mixed together. A drop will go a long way for a new colony. Protein in the form of crickets, mealworms, wingless fruit flies, chicken. Clean water aka clean test tube setups. I freeze crickets and feed my colony daily, but others feed only twice or once a week. The more you feed the faster they grow.
-After about 5 workers or so you can attach a small outworld. Here is a link to reference for ideas. http://www.formicult...m-and-outworld/
-Change your test tubes as needed. If the water is turning yellow or the cotton is all dark yellow or starting to grow black mold, change the tube.
-And that’s it. You are now a professional.

Edited by KBant, May 18 2018 - 2:16 PM.

[T.C.]

It's spelt, Camponotus nearcticus by the way.

[disasterants]

It's spelt, Camponotus nearcticus by the way.

Thanks

[Jonathan21700]

Feeding protein once a week is way too low. If you wan't a healthy colony feed them every day or every 1/2 days when they have larvae. 

[CNewton]

I've seen on these forums that C.nearcticus is a very timid species. Take this queen in her test tube and stick her in the cupboard you never use in the kitchen. Ambient heat will help larvae develop and darkness will keep her from eating her eggs. You don't need to, nor should you, look at her for a month if you've left her with enough water.

[Mettcollsuss]

Their care is the same as all Camponotus.

[YsTheAnt]

Feeding protein once a week is way too low. If you wan't a healthy colony feed them every day or every 1/2 days when they have larvae.

Once a week is fine for a small colony. Twice a week might be better, but once a day can be way overkill.

[T.C.]

I've seen on these forums that C.nearcticus is a very timid species. Take this queen in her test tube and stick her in the cupboard you never use in the kitchen. Ambient heat will help larvae develop and darkness will keep her from eating her eggs. You don't need to, nor should you, look at her for a month if you've left her with enough water.

 

Yes, I generally don't check on mine for that amount of time as well.

[nurbs]

Found one of these in Norcal while collecting C. modoc and C. vicinus. At least that's what I suspected, but she could be also be an all black C. hyatti since she is so shiny. How does yours compare to this video?

 

Care should be the same as other Camponotus, follow KBant's advice.

 

[disasterants]

Found one of these in Norcal while collecting C. modoc and C. vicinus. At least that's what I suspected, but she could be also be an all black C. hyatti since she is so shiny. How does yours compare to this video?

 

Care should be the same as other Camponotus, follow KBant's advice.

 

mine was also carrying around her brood in her mouth when I caught her despite the fact that I caught her out in the open on an outdoor metal railing right outside my school and not in a claustral cell... It was kind of hard to notice since she did not have much but She kept taking it and flipping over in her mouth periodically. Leads me to believe that maybe this species is semi nomadic...? Similar color scheme and body shape to this queen but slightly smaller gaster...

[disasterants]

Feeding protein once a week is way too low. If you wan't a healthy colony feed them every day or every 1/2 days when they have larvae. 

For a mature colony sure but for a few workers and a queen isn't one - two meals a week enough, especially if it's a large prey item and they're small ants?

[disasterants]

-Fully claustral. May give a drop of sugar water if you want but not needed.
-Leave in a test tube setup, do no disturb or peek for a month.
-Make sure it’s dark.
-Put a heating cable or heating mat at the end of the test tube and NOT over the whole test tube. You want to offer the queen a gradient so she can self regulate how much heat to expose herself and her eggs to. If you don’t have a heating cable don’t worry, it’s not required but will help your ants develop faster.
-A day or two after your first worker ecloses, give them a drop of sugar water in the test tube. A day or two later you can try offering a cricket leg/head.
-After your first worker it’s important to have a heating source or your colony won’t develop fast or at all.
-Diet once the colony has a worker: sugar water, equal amounts in volume water and sugar mixed together. A drop will go a long way for a new colony. Protein in the form of crickets, mealworms, wingless fruit flies, chicken. Clean water aka clean test tube setups. I freeze crickets and feed my colony daily, but others feed only twice or once a week. The more you feed the faster they grow.
-After about 5 workers or so you can attach a small outworld. Here is a link to reference for ideas. http://www.formicult...m-and-outworld/
-Change your test tubes as needed. If the water is turning yellow or the cotton is all dark yellow or starting to grow black mold, change the tube.
-And that’s it. You are now a professional.

do you need to heat your ants if you are keeping them in a room without A/C?

[YsTheAnt]

-Fully claustral. May give a drop of sugar water if you want but not needed.
-Leave in a test tube setup, do no disturb or peek for a month.
-Make sure it’s dark.
-Put a heating cable or heating mat at the end of the test tube and NOT over the whole test tube. You want to offer the queen a gradient so she can self regulate how much heat to expose herself and her eggs to. If you don’t have a heating cable don’t worry, it’s not required but will help your ants develop faster.
-A day or two after your first worker ecloses, give them a drop of sugar water in the test tube. A day or two later you can try offering a cricket leg/head.
-After your first worker it’s important to have a heating source or your colony won’t develop fast or at all.
-Diet once the colony has a worker: sugar water, equal amounts in volume water and sugar mixed together. A drop will go a long way for a new colony. Protein in the form of crickets, mealworms, wingless fruit flies, chicken. Clean water aka clean test tube setups. I freeze crickets and feed my colony daily, but others feed only twice or once a week. The more you feed the faster they grow.
-After about 5 workers or so you can attach a small outworld. Here is a link to reference for ideas. http://www.formicult...m-and-outworld/
-Change your test tubes as needed. If the water is turning yellow or the cotton is all dark yellow or starting to grow black mold, change the tube.
-And that’s it. You are now a professional.

do you need to heat your ants if you are keeping them in a room without A/C?

From my experience, camponotus does best at around 85 degrees Fahrenheit (~30 Celsius). Whether or not you have to heat them to attain this depends on the room.

[Jonathan21700]

You need to make sure all the larvae get well fed and with feeding once a week you can't really achieve that except if the colony is very small and has 2 larvae for example. Ants don't eat more than they can take, of course I'm not saying you need to flood the outworld with food you just need to give the appropriate amount depending on the size of the ants, number of larvae and size of the colony.