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Camponotus Question
Started By
Patorikku
, May 10 2020 11:06 PM
2 replies to this topic
#1 Offline - Posted May 10 2020 - 11:06 PM
I have a C. Pennsylvanicus and C. Discolor.
In the 2+ weeks I have had CP, she has now laid 15+ eggs. Is this normal? Most places I’ve seen say she should lay 5-8 eggs and it’ll take at least 1-2 years to get her ready for even a small formicarium, but at this rate, she’ll be ready in a month or so.
Also, my CD I have had for a little over a week and she only has one egg. Is this normal as well?
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In the 2+ weeks I have had CP, she has now laid 15+ eggs. Is this normal? Most places I’ve seen say she should lay 5-8 eggs and it’ll take at least 1-2 years to get her ready for even a small formicarium, but at this rate, she’ll be ready in a month or so.
Also, my CD I have had for a little over a week and she only has one egg. Is this normal as well?
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#2 Offline - Posted May 10 2020 - 11:33 PM
For the pennsylvanicus, yeah, that's pretty normal. Generally pennsylvanicus get like 4-10 nanitics in captivity, but that doesn't mean they start as 4-10 eggs. A lot of times some of the eggs will be consumed for extra nutrition later during founding, or the larvae will not be fed for longer so that only a few develop faster than the rest. Either way, more eggs is almost always good, so don't worry too much. Also, she won't be ready for a formicarium in just a month. Sometimes the pupal stage alone for Camponotus can take a month. They aren't exactly the fastest developing ants ever. I wouldn't go as far as to say 1-2 years for a formicarium, but I'd wait until after hibernation personally. I have a pretty large (~600ish workers) Camponotus pennsylvanicus colony that I raised from just 8 workers, and I gave them their first formicarium at 20 or so workers, which they got after their first hibernation. Every colony will be different, though.
As for the discolor, well I can't say I've ever kept this species, but with my experience with myrmentoma Camponotus generally get far fewer nanitics, like 3-6. It's not exactly bad that she only has 1 egg, she's likely to lay more later during founding, but don't expect her to lay quite as much as your pennsylvanicus queen.
Edited by CheetoLord02, May 10 2020 - 11:37 PM.
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#3 Offline - Posted May 11 2020 - 6:33 AM
Yes. Most founding queens lay more eggs than they're capable of raising, as many of these will be eaten by herself or her larvae.
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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version
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