52 replies to this topic

[PetsNotPests]

I have recently collected a Camponotus Sansabeanus queen. She was obtained on March 28, and on the day of writhing this, (May 11th) she has a large pile of brood. 3 of her larvae are absolutely gigantic, in the 6-8mm range! This is crazy to me as this queen is only about 2 months old, and I have not been heating her. Do the larvae usually grow this fast or is it just me? Tell me what you think. Also, expect lots of updates on this queen in the near future. Definitely one of my favorite queens. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by PetsNotPests, October 13 2021 - 1:34 PM.

[PetsNotPests]

A little update:

 

Queen has 4 cocoons, and 2 more plump larvae almost ready to pupate. I'm expecting her to have 2+ workers in the near future. I can't wait! 

I'm planning on keeping her in the test tube until she has 10+ workers, then she's going into a THA Mini Hearth. 

 

I'll get some pics of her brood pile tomorrow. 

Edited by PetsNotPests, June 13 2021 - 7:22 AM.

[ZTYguy]

Awesome, Can't wait for workers!

[PetsNotPests]

Queen now has 6 cocoons and 2 larvae that should pupate in a few days or so. No workers yet, but they should be here soon! 

[PetsNotPests]

Forgot to add pictures from a few days ago. Here they are:

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[PetsNotPests]

7 cocoons and rising. This queen is doing very well, and is looking very healthy. No workers yet, but they'll be here soon! 

[eea]

i got the same species around the same time and I'm doing just as well as you are, have around 6 or 7, first worker is coming soon, has been in a cocoon for 4 weeks

good luck

Edited by eea, June 2 2021 - 8:22 AM.

[PetsNotPests]

i got the same species around the same time and I'm doing just as well as you are, have around 6 or 7, first worker is coming soon, has been in a cocoon for 4 weeks

good luck

Great! Happy to hear that their doing well! Are you going to make a journal? I would love to hear more about this species. 

[eea]

Yep, larvae grew way faster than i thought, expecting workers this week, I haven't thought of making a journal yet but i might change my mind, I'm always worried that the queen and majors won't be able to turn around or fit into tubing

[PetsNotPests]

 

Yep, larvae grew way faster than i thought, expecting workers this week, I haven't thought of making a journal yet but i might change my mind, I'm always worried that the queen and majors won't be able to turn around or fit into tubing

 

I agree, the larvae grew way faster than I expected. I can't wait for workers! 

[PetsNotPests]

Queen now has 8+ cocoons. I noticed that she has been sorting the cocoons from most to least developed, or by their hue. Have you guys ever seen this behavior before? This is the first time I've ever seen a queen do this, and I thought it was pretty cool.  

[AntsLA-1]

Queen now has 8+ cocoons. I noticed that she has been sorting the cocoons from most to least developed, or by their hue. Have you guys ever seen this behavior before? This is the first time I've ever seen a queen do this, and I thought it was pretty cool.  

Awesome! that's a lot of brood.

[PetsNotPests]

 

Queen now has 8+ cocoons. I noticed that she has been sorting the cocoons from most to least developed, or by their hue. Have you guys ever seen this behavior before? This is the first time I've ever seen a queen do this, and I thought it was pretty cool.  

Awesome! that's a lot of brood.

 

I thought so too. Is this an average growth rate for this species? She's bigger than my C. Vicinus queens, and they're all still stuck on 4 pupae. I'm not complaining or anything, just wondering if this was a normal growth rate for these ants.

[AntsLA-1]

 

 

Queen now has 8+ cocoons. I noticed that she has been sorting the cocoons from most to least developed, or by their hue. Have you guys ever seen this behavior before? This is the first time I've ever seen a queen do this, and I thought it was pretty cool.  

Awesome! that's a lot of brood.

 

I thought so too. Is this an average growth rate for this species? She's bigger than my C. Vicinus queens, and they're all still stuck on 4 pupae. I'm not complaining or anything, just wondering if this was a normal growth rate for these ants.

 

I don't know, it depends how much eggs she laid and how many made it to the last stage.

[eea]

Just checked my queen, she has another smaller batch of larvae and a lot of cocoons, though I've noticed a lot of poop on the cotton blocking the tube

[eea]

Just checked my queen, she has another smaller batch of larvae and a lot of cocoons, though I've noticed a lot of poop on the cotton blocking the tube

it also looks like she's moving slower than the last time I've checked her

[eea]

when is the next update

[PetsNotPests]

when is the next update

I'll do one in a few hours. I'll include some pictures as well. 

[eea]

cool, I've also just realized I've never sent my queen, so here she is

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Edited by eea, June 10 2021 - 2:29 PM.

[eea]

ok nvm fixed

Edited by eea, June 10 2021 - 2:29 PM.