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cpman's Canponotus cf. sayi Journal (Updated 6/16/2015)

Started By cpman , Apr 7 2015 4:16 PM

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#1 Offline cpman - Posted April 7 2015 - 4:16 PM

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Hi everyone!
I've decided to start a journal for my Camponotus cf. sayi queen, seeing as she has laid eggs.

4/7/2015:
So, my Camponotus cf. sayi queen that I caught on 4/4/2015 has two eggs. Unlike many other species in this genus, her eggs are a pearly white. I didn't want to disturb her, so here are some pictures from when I caught her:
D05AF93C-9435-4C75-9A58-F8280103C9AA_zps

B65BA935-5E7A-4178-BFC9-DDA4B7160691_zps


Edited by cpman, June 16 2015 - 9:46 AM.

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#2 Offline dspdrew - Posted April 7 2015 - 4:32 PM

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The easiest way to say "probably Camponotus sayi" is "Camponotus cf. sayi".


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#3 Offline cpman - Posted April 9 2015 - 5:54 PM

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4/9/2015:

This queen is now up to 4 eggs! She drank a LOT of water, as her gaster is quite a bit larger now than it used to be...

Here is a newer picture of her:

413AEFB5-A029-4F57-B1E1-399BD9D50CBA_zps


Edited by cpman, April 9 2015 - 6:07 PM.

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#4 Offline cpman - Posted April 12 2015 - 8:17 AM

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Update 4/12/2015:

 

This queen is up to 8 eggs now! No pictures at the moment, but her gaster is bigger now... I don't know weather it is due to eggs or water....


Edited by cpman, April 12 2015 - 8:17 AM.

#5 Offline cpman - Posted April 16 2015 - 7:36 PM

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Update 4/16/2015:

 

She has got a LOT of eggs now!

Here is a (admittedly low quality) picture from a few minutes ago:

B3D6B419-5F26-41C1-847A-49D4215D60B6_zps

 

She's surprisingly calm, even under the microscope lights.


#6 Offline cpman - Posted May 5 2015 - 4:16 PM

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Update 5/5/2015:
This queen has 3 tiny pupae now in addition to A bunch of eggs and larvae. They are only 3 mm long!
This is probably my favorite Camponotus around here as the workers are so strikingly colored and polymorphic. The shiny red is so cool to see.
Here she is:
772D2CD8-D0FF-4918-9885-680863516187_zps

#7 Offline dspdrew - Posted May 5 2015 - 4:50 PM

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Those are some small Camponotus. Interesting colors too.


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#8 Offline cpman - Posted May 5 2015 - 6:22 PM

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They are quite small! I'm really surprised at how small the nanitics will be from the size of the pupae. The majors are around 7 mm if I remember right.

#9 Offline cpman - Posted May 26 2015 - 5:49 PM

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Update 5/26/2015:
She has 4 workers now. Seeing as I haven't fed them yet, today I whipped up a mix of a protein shake and table sugar to make a food with a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 3:1. I gave them extra sugar because all my current ants are Campontus and they seem to like more carbs.

Anyway, I pasteurized it in the microwave, and all the protein aggluginated, making it into a gel! So, I give some to this colony.
Within seconds 3 workers had recruited to it.
Here they are enjoying their first meal:
AE2D9BDD-7F10-4BDA-A595-F13467CC65D1_zps

You can't see them, but she has laid another batch of eggs and has some small larvae!

Edited by cpman, May 26 2015 - 5:52 PM.

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#10 Offline Lamarr - Posted May 26 2015 - 9:59 PM

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Very cool species you got there, cpman! How large is the queen? They seem like a smaller Camponotus species.


#11 Offline cpman - Posted May 27 2015 - 11:34 AM

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If I remember right the queen is about 11 or 12 mm. They are pretty small for Campontus. They are all over the oak trees here.

#12 Offline cpman - Posted June 16 2015 - 9:46 AM

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Update 6/16/2015:

 

When I came back from out of the country, they had 5 workers and no brood!

Unfortunately, two workers have died since, and they've refused both a termite and my ant food. I hope I can get them to eat. I'm probably going to pick up a fruit fly culture this week, so hopefully they take that.

Here is a picture:

B9D6B8CF-7046-4424-8C42-1A799AE79790_zps


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