3 replies to this topic

[futurebird]

I have a colony of camponotus discolor who have been growing quickly all summer. I was certain they'd want to move to a bigger nest... but they have managed to simply pack even more ants into their little two room nest. I watched them for an hour or so today and it was fascinating they way they would play jenga or tetris with all of the brood and resting ants. It's normal for ants to be resting under massive piles of brood 4 pupae deep.
 
I'm going to trust that they know what is best. There is a larger nest right next to them. They could even just use part of it. 



It's gotten WORSE since this photo from last week. Have you ever seen how a NYC parking lot works? That's what it's like.
 
I could connect the larger nest to their smaller one... but that would mean disturbing them quite a bit. 
 
 
So the question: will ants overcrowd themselves to death or to an unhealthy degree?
 
They seem happy and active, so just reassure me I don't need to mess with them.




Is this OK???

Edited by futurebird, August 24 2021 - 5:57 PM.

[ANTdrew]

The best setup for any species is to offer them a variety of nesting choices and trust their judgement. Your ants will definitely not crowd themselves to death. The cavernous commercial formicariums are extremely different from how they nest in the wild, so our idea of crowding is quite skewed.

[CheetoLord02]

Overcrowding can be an issue, although you will notice an excess of workers hanging out in the outworld and eventually brood being placed outside of the nest before anything really becomes an issue. If the ants are in need of nesting space so badly that they'll nest in the outworld, it's about time you should attach a new nest.

Also, those appear to be Camponotus decipiens, not C. discolor. The majors lack erect hairs around the mandibular region, which is the main defining trait between the two species.

[futurebird]

Yay! They moved during the night! They are now using both of the foranto wooden nests. They really seem to love wooden nests... more than cork in any case. I'm so excited to see how they expand now.