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Camponotus keep moving brood in and out of test tube?


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#1 Offline Nawor3565 - Posted April 24 2019 - 1:10 PM

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I have a Camponotus colony with around 8 workers. I recently took them out of hibernation, and their test tube was super moldy. I had placed the test tube in a small take-out container for easier feeding, so I just put a second, clean test tube next to their first one. I did this with my other Camponotus colony and they moved into the new tube within a week, but these guys just don't want to move into the new tube. But here's the weird thing; they recently started moving their brood in and out of the original tube into the corner of the container, sometimes multiple times per day. The queen usually stays inside the tube, but I saw her in the corner with the brood at least once. I'm not really sure why they keep moving, the corner they're moving too is slightly closer to their heating coil so maybe that's why? I've included a picture to better understand what I'm saying. I'm just not sure if this is something I should worry about or not. Thanks!

 

 

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#2 Offline YsTheAnt - Posted April 24 2019 - 1:54 PM

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It may be because of temperature. My Camponotus tend to move towards the heat source if they like it, and move to the other end of the setup if they don't.

Edited by YsTheAnt, April 24 2019 - 1:55 PM.

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#3 Offline Carpenter - Posted April 25 2019 - 3:15 PM

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My guess would be that they want the heat for pupae and larva, but they can't find the right humidity outside the tube for the larva. 

 

I would try adding a humidity source like a cotton ball somewhere along where the heat wire is, drill a tiny hole in the lid and use a syringe to add a little water each day, they may move the larva to that area. 

 

As far as I know the eggs are a tossup since they focus on correct humidity for the eggs but don't prioritize them for warmth over the other stages 


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#4 Offline rbarreto - Posted April 25 2019 - 10:55 PM

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I find that once Camponotus colonies get enough workers the begin a never ending cycle of moving brood to different locations. Camponotus can nest in dry or semi-humid environments. As long as you are giving them options you have nothing to worry about.


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#5 Offline Nawor3565 - Posted April 26 2019 - 9:28 AM

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It looks like they're pretty fond of the heat, I turned the container around so the heating coil was on the other side and they started moving the brood to where the heat is now. It also looks like they're not really moving them into the old tube anymore, so I guess the new spot meets whatever their criteria are. Since I already have a hole with a cotton ball plugging it, I'll try adding some water to see if they like it better. If they don't seem to care, I'll just stop. Thanks for the advice guys :)






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