37 replies to this topic

[dean_k]

I received a Camponotus Herculeanus queen with some workers and some brood from Crystal today.

 

And Camponotus is lovely. They are big, so it's much easier to watch and easier on eyes. They are cool as in they don't panic easily. They don't seem to mind the light, either.

 

Anyway, this is their new nest: THA Nucleus

 

 

Both side of this nest is usable and I feel one side is more than enough for this colony for a while, so I blocked the other half.

 

 

 

 

I was inspecting the outworld before pouring the ants in and noticed a small cave which I blocked for the time being.

 

 

 

 

And I added water to the nest and did final check up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At first, I placed the test tube in the outworld but later decided to just pour everything into the outworld instead. For the time being, they are staying in outworld. They are not minding the light one bit and they don't really mind my breath, either. I can even touch the queen with my finger and she acts cool.

 

Their behavior is complete contrast to how Fromica panics at the slightest vibration.

Edited by dean_k, March 11 2015 - 7:06 PM.

[Ants4fun]

Awesome colony! I can't wait to collect some Camponotus as well this summer!

[dspdrew]

Nice colony. Big Camponotus are fun.

[dean_k]

They moved into the nest over a night.

 

[Crystals]

Looking good.  Glad they moved in so nicely.

 

I have found Camponotus to be the calmest species I have ever found.  Almost nothing fazes them (unless a live insect crawls into the nest).

That particular colony was in a location where they received ambient light all day and frequent small vibrations whenever anyone walked by.

 

That is a nice large nest.  I can't wait to see how they do as the years go by.

 

They eat practically anything, and prefer temperatures between 22-26C.

 

That particular queen was caught May 21, 2014.  She went into hibernation Sept 15 and came out in early February.

 

My favorite part with Camponotus is watching them when they help a new worker eclose.  Just wait until you see it for yourself. 

[dean_k]

March 13, 2015

 

The colony is using two locations now. And the queen is moving around from location 1 to 2 from time to time.

 

The 1st video focuses on the 1st location which is the initial location they settled down. It also focuses on a lone entrance guard. There appears to be, so far anyway, a worker by entrance. This worker is almost always seen near the entrance. Sometimes out but close to the entrance, sometimes in the nest but close to the exit.

I also see (probably new) eggs @ 3:35.

 

 

 

The 2nd video is about their 2nd location. This location is the moist part of the nest due to being right above the water tower.

 

Edited by dean_k, March 13 2015 - 7:04 AM.

[dean_k]

The colony's gate guard

 

The colony appears to have an entrance guard. She does not eat or drink. She simply stays around the entrance. Even when I dropped a fresh mealworm piece as seen in the video, she did not go for it. She stays by the entrance pretty much all day.

 

Another worker eventually took the mealworm piece after giving the guard a short trophallaxis. I haven't seen such a behavior from Lasius, Myrmica, and Formica.

 

The video is HD capable.

 

Edited by dean_k, March 13 2015 - 9:01 PM.

[dean_k]

March 14, 2015

 

When I branded this lone worker at nest entrance a gate guard, I was half joking, but I am starting to actually believe that she is really a gate guard.

 

Her panicky behavior that is shown in the video below is because I took the nest out from a dark room to my bath room to change sugar water and drop a piece of mealworm. She stays around the entrance for most of time.

 

 

[Crystals]

The colony's gate guard

 

The colony appears to have an entrance guard. She does not eat or drink. She simply stays around the entrance. Even when I dropped a fresh mealworm piece as seen in the video, she did not go for it. She stays by the entrance pretty much all day.

 

Another worker eventually took the mealworm piece after giving the guard a short trophallaxis. I haven't seen such a behavior from Lasius, Myrmica, and Formica

 

I see this in most Camponotus colonies, where one or several workers will hang out around the entrance or form outposts in the foraging area.  If there is more than 2 or so they do tend to do a lot of foraging, if just one or two they are pretty much entrance guards and sometimes forage after dark.  Even if you feed every ant in the colony to bursting, the entrance guard or outpost ants will never have an expanded gaster.

[antmaniac]

Interesting note. Is the guard usually a major?

[dean_k]

I think so, but seeing the colony is lacking majors, I suppose someone decided to take the role up.

[dean_k]

March 15, 2015

 

I've caught the guard being fed.

 

 

 

The colony has also relocated to bottom, right above water tower. I guess they like the moisture level there. The video also caught the worker being fed. You can clearly see gaster size difference between the guard and the worker.

 

[dean_k]

March 16, 2015

 

The workers apparently decided to rip a cocoon and decided to consume her juice.

 

It is a long video, spanning 26 and half minutes. At first, I thought they were trying to assist the major being born but soon I realized they were trying to eat. They cut open the major's head and drinks its juice.

 

Edited by dean_k, March 16 2015 - 9:57 AM.

[Crystals]

Interesting to see it on camera.

I see this once or twice a year in my colonies.  Most of the time I can see a clear deformity if they pull the pupae out before they consume it, usually in the head or gaster.

[dean_k]

Well, I am sure they knew what they were doing. I am just a little disappointed that I won't be able to see a major soon.

 

Although it's kind of hard to see due to lower quality on Youtube video, I was able to see the insides when a worker cut its head often. It was liquid inside.

[dean_k]

March 17, 2015

 

The immature major was completely consumed. You can see what's left of the cocoon at 1:26. Just a piece of cocoon shell...

Maybe, the big intake of pure protein helped. The queen's gaster is enlarged and she has laid some eggs (5 ~ 10).

 

[dean_k]

March 20, 2015

 

The queen laid a bunch of eggs.

 

[Miles]

March 20, 2015

 

The queen laid a bunch of eggs.

 

No kidding she did! Looks like a nice start to the year for this colony.

[dean_k]

March 26, 2015

 

I saw a worker eclose yesterday.

 

Other than that, nothing much to report. The eggs are developing nicely and the queen is lazy as usual.

 

[dean_k]

March 31, 2015

 

 

 

They've been fairly active in outworld. I usually see 3+ almost always now. Other than that, nothing significant to report.