12 replies to this topic

[Myrmarauder]

I figured I'd start my journal for these guys girls, this is a super nifty feature and hopefully easier than my notepad.

 

I bought the queen with some brood and 5 or 6 workers from Drew on Aug 27th:

 

 

 

The next day, Aug 28th, I spent the day testing out ways to heat the colony. I could tell she wasn't pleased with being in a drawer in the high 70's.

Here she is with some new workers:

 

https://drive.google...iew?usp=sharing (iPhone video)

 

 

 

Aug 29th: realized the eggs (brood?) were gone but it makes sense considering the colony had a 1.5 hr car ride and sub-optimal temps to contend with. I wasn't thrilled but with all the stress I placed on them, I accepted it.

 

Aug 31: Queen laid a bunch of eggs!

 

 

Sept 4: I added an outworld to the setup so I can avoid disturbing the queen a bit more and keep their food and trash out of the formicarium. I left the sugar water in the formicarium for now so they can be more comfortable. I already stressed them out AGAIN since I had to drill a hole in their little heated dark box for the outworld to hook up to the formicarium. I hope they don't kill the brood, it's developing well. 

 

Here's the colony before construction:

 

Here's their little world now:

 

Sept 5: Colony looks a little more adjusted. probably going to leave their sugar water in formicarium for a few more days at least. I just wish it wasn't next to the heater, but maybe they like it warmer?

 

 

 

 

 

I wish I had good ant pictures but for some reason the point and shoot (with great macro) can't seem to figure out how to focus through the plastic and my iPhone can only do so much (I don't have a Macro lens for my SLR... yet). 

 

EDIT: fixed the images, added update for this AM

Edited by Myrmarauder, September 5 2018 - 10:54 AM.

[Myrmarauder]

I really want to build them a naturalistic setup (formicarium + outworld in one)

 

Where do people get hydrostone in Southern California (San Diego)? I can't seem to find it outside of the manufacturer's site. I'd like to put some in their outworld for traction (currently there's a bit of paper). 

 

Also, has anyone gotten these guys to dig at all? Drew mentioned they seem to nest at the base of shrubs/bushes... I wonder if adding some sticks/roots in the sand would entice them to dig next to the "root"? I'm probably not gonna risk my first and only colony on a hypothesis but it would be cool too see if it can be done...

[sirjordanncurtis]

Nice photos! As for getting the ants to choose a specific part of the nest to dig in, I would say heating that part of the nest and maybe giving it a little more shade than all of the other locations will entice the ants to choose it to nest. e.g. putting a heat pad on the side of the formicarium

[Zeiss]

Looks like a really nice journal being started, but you should to learn how to embed your images into your posts.  There is also an Important Topics section to the top-right of the home page which can help you out too.  

 

Besides that, good luck with the fraggles!

[Myrmarauder]

Looks like a really nice journal being started, but you should to learn how to embed your images into your posts.  There is also an Important Topics section to the top-right of the home page which can help you out too.  

 

Besides that, good luck with the fraggles!

 

 Thanks! I know. I was just so tired last night I figured I'd at least get it started and fix it today. I had seen a comment on that thread that Google drive works well and then I realized it didn't. All fixed now

 

 

Nice photos! As for getting the ants to choose a specific part of the nest to dig in, I would say heating that part of the nest and maybe giving it a little more shade than all of the other locations will entice the ants to choose it to nest. e.g. putting a heat pad on the side of the formicarium

 

Thanks, yeah they have a heat pad now and they definitely like it. This formicarium doesn't have any space to dig and I don't want to disturb them again for a while. The system ain't broke so I'm gonna let them be for now. Drew was saying that he had trouble getting this colony to dig any sort of significant structure and that's why I proposed that maybe the reason they like to nest by a plant is because there is some structure they can dig adjacent to? Just a thought. being a desert species they might also just like that they can probably tap into the shrub as a food source, which wouldn't really do much in this situation... The good thing is, I have a lot of time to figure out how I'm going to give them a sweet setup. I might just do a sandy hydrostone formicarium with a cool outworld though. The nice thing about ants vs vertebrates is that space is hardly a factor, what's small for a dart frog is enormous an ant colony =)

[sirjordanncurtis]

By the way, how do your Camponotus fragilis react when you give them food like insects? 

[Myrmarauder]

I've been meaning to upload more videos and pictures to this. I swear I meant for this to be more of a log.

 

This past week I stressed out the queen again. found out last Friday I have to leave for a month so I'm testing/training a smart thermostat I got and I was pestering them with all sorts of non-insect proteins that the pet sitter could give them. I caught her red handed eating her larvae (while workers were trying to pull them away, it was pretty sad).  I hope it was the temperature fluctuations and not the queen that killed the larvae and the queen was just keeping them from going to waste. I'm not kidding about the temp fluctuations, the recommended "away" setting I was testing was basically set to reach a threshold temperature (warm) and the freeze the living hell out of the room and shut off until it got hot again. I can only imagine the pain it was to thermoregulate when their compartment ambient temps fluctuated along with the room!  Fortunately, Pet room temps are good now, I can control and monitor everything remotely, and I found that the ants like eggs which the pet sitter can easily manage.

 

So I'm kind of destroying my colony. I hope they survive my trip... I'm kind of hoping I set them up to thrive with all the privacy they'll have. 

 

Visual Updates:

 

09.12.2018: Queen Eating her brood again

                    https://drive.google...iew?usp=sharing

 

09.15.2018: Workers eating cricket (from pic above)

                    https://drive.google...iew?usp=sharing

 

09.16.2018: Is she trying to dig on the paper? I don't get it but she's been obsessed with that ALL DAY. Possibly longer?

                    https://drive.google...iew?usp=sharing

 

 

 

By the way, how do your Camponotus fragilis react when you give them food like insects? 

 

 

I haven't fed them anything from outside because I know there's loads of pesticides here. So I've tried freshly killed/cut crickets, which they loved, canned crickets, which were disgusting and nothing wanted to eat them and dubia roaches that I'm not sure they didn't like or it was just too big. They definitely seem to prefer crickets.

[Myrmarauder]

I made them that second bottle of green sugar water, but I haven't seen any green gasters... I guess hummingbird nectar is all the rage. Since I have to go away I should still feel OK leaving the with that sugar water right? I mean its sugar water and there's more in the fridge for the pet sitter... or should I try to add sugar or replace with hummingbird nectar (same thing I thought)?

[sirjordanncurtis]

Sugar water should be fine. It just means that the workers are more accustomed to the hummingbird nectar or prefer it more than the sugar water atm. I'm not sure what you mean by adding sugar though?

[Myrmarauder]

Sugar water should be fine. It just means that the workers are more accustomed to the hummingbird nectar or prefer it more than the sugar water atm. I'm not sure what you mean by adding sugar though?

 

Thanks, that's what I thought but wanted some reassurance

I meant adding sugar to the sugar water to make it sweeter. I was thinking maybe the hummingbird nectar had a higher ratio of sugar:water.

 

Also, update:

9.18.2018: 

• Queen laid a bunch of eggs (I think maybe twice since I saw her eat that larvae) so I'm optimistic. I'm really trying to control myself though and give her privacy so I'm hanging up the paparazzi hat for a little while.
• There is still one ant constantly chewing at the card-stock paper in the corner. I know they are very diligent about inspecting the outworld to make sure it's safe so I don't know if this is an extension of that, if they want the fiber for some reason, or if she's trying to dig a nest. I really wish I could stick a camera on them for while I'm away to see what she's doing!

I actually caught a second one that seems to be inspecting her progress?

 

 

Lastly, Drew (or anyone that uses his starter formicariums @ 80-85 degrees), is there enough water in here to last a month, do you think? 

 

I made a mistake when I added the outworld: I drilled a hole in their warm dark box and now I'd have to either stress the hell out of the colony AGAIN to take everything apart and add water. Or I can stress the colony by drilling a hole into the water reservoir through which I can add water (and tape up the hole to keep the water from evaporating out).

 

[nurbs]

While I don't have any experience with Drew's starter nests, the level of condensation in the water tank looks troubling.

 

Can't see how you are heating them, but maybe place the heat source or heating cable near the nest and not below or at the water tank. You do not need a wall of heat. Just a portion or a corner of the nest that needs to be warm. This will create a nice heat gradient.

[Myrmarauder]

While I don't have any experience with Drew's starter nests, the level of condensation in the water tank looks troubling.

 

Can't see how you are heating them, but maybe place the heat source or heating cable near the nest and not below or at the water tank. You do not need a wall of heat. Just a portion or a corner of the nest that needs to be warm. This will create a nice heat gradient.

Thanks for helping!

 

It's not really noticeable but I have a heat mat mounted to a piece of glass that rests along 1/4 of the right side so they have that heat gradient 

In the picture right above Sept. 5th update in my first post you can see the cord on the right.

 

Since I got it I don't think I've seen the water level move much. Not noticeably anyways, which is why I think it's close. But I definitely see what you mean.

 

Today Vs the day I set it up (Aug 28):

 

Edit: the pictures don't wanna cooperate, here's an attempt at side by side of aug 28 vs sep 18:

 

Haha actually doing this side by side I feel a bit more comfortable giving them a month away from me

 

Edited by Myrmarauder, September 18 2018 - 9:32 PM.

[anttics]

Mine never looked so fat. She seems underfeed. Here is a picture



This colony is not doing well. They had 3 larva for the past 2 months. Not a single worker born in these months