207 replies to this topic

[DDD101DDD]

wait, you have neoniger?

Yes, I got her last year. I also have Nylanderia(just a queen though)

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

wow what did I miss lol

[Canadant]

Still got her wings. Cool!

Thanks

[DDD101DDD]

Mini update- They now have a really big larva, it's about the size of a worker, maybe a little bigger, but the queen is blocking it.

 

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Might be a major...or a male. Keep an eye on it

[Canadant]

It's always fun when majors arrive! Excited for you.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

I suspect the amount of protein has yielded you your first major, albeit a tad early (they usually appear from 50-100 workers or year 2-3)

[CheetoLord02]

It's definitely possible for Camponotus to get early majors, especially in captivity. I have a Camponotus novaeboracensis colony that woke up from hibernation with 2 workers... and instantly made a major. They're at 7 workers now, but their first worker out of hibernation was a major, lol. Also my first ever colony was a Camponotus pennsylvanicus colony that I caught fresh after their first hibernation, and they had 7 minors and a major. So while many times you don't start seeing the truly massive majors until well over 100 workers, they definitely still have the ability to get majors really early after their 1st hibernation.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

yeah, I have a median (you can tell by her head), so we'll see how my colony progresses!

[DDD101DDD]

Thanks guys! I really hope it's a major and not a male.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

we all are too, don't worry!

my motto is 'don't stress over the things you can't control'

[ForestDragon]

my C. pennsylvanicus have 7 workers already and are pumpin out the larvae, I need to get fruit flies to feed them and also THEY EAT SO MUCH ALREADY

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Mine have an absurd amount of larvae so I figured I would cut a cricket in half and feed em that with some honey water

[DDD101DDD]

4/5/20

 

I finally have my first pupa of the year! However, it's kind of disappointing how small it is... I was certain one of the larger larvae would pupate first, but life is full of surprises I guess. My queen also laid a new batch of eggs, as can be seen in the image below.

 

Edited by DDD101DDD, April 5 2020 - 1:25 PM.

[AntsDakota]

Nice! But, knowing Camponotus, it should hatch no earlier than two or three weeks from now.......... 

[DDD101DDD]

4/11/20

 

A bunch more larvae have pupated, and I've placed their honey closer to the side of the outworld, so I can take more pictures of them in the outworld using my macro lens.

 

 

Something kind of interesting is that the big larva still has not pupated yet.

 

 

 

 

Edited by DDD101DDD, April 11 2020 - 11:30 AM.

[AntsDakota]

Mini major?

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

I would say a full grown major judging by the size of it...

[CANant]

It’s such an exciting time! I think I have at least 2 majors now which is a bit surprising but they have been consuming a lot of protein and are heated. At least I think they are majors. So great to see how your colony is doing. The bigger the ant the longer they take to enclose and the wait is awful but worth it.

Edited by CANant, April 12 2020 - 8:53 PM.

[CheetoLord02]

I would say a full grown major judging by the size of it...

I'd be willing to bet on it being a media or a smaller major. The massive 18-20mm majors will have larvae that get as big as the queen

 

my C. pennsylvanicus have 7 workers already and are pumpin out the larvae, I need to get fruit flies to feed them and also THEY EAT SO MUCH ALREADY

Ants eat a TON. My pennsylvanicus are eating 10 adult crickets per day and they only have 500ish workers