15 replies to this topic

[Topgun757]

My Camponotus novaeboracensis colony has sorta just stagnated recently, their third worker eclosed but was all malformed and was dead. Could it just be stress? They are in a mini hearth and have two workers, I know it’s a bit too much space but when I had to have them in their because I didn’t have anymore test tubes. So far they’ve eaten 2 fruit flies lots of THA supplement sugar water honey and some plain water, what could be going on?

[Topgun757]

They are also heated, but the larvae won’t develop and queen isn’t laying eggs.

[Manitobant]

How long has it been since the colony was taken out of hibernation? They could be wanting to go back in again, assuming that all the larvae are the same size and there is no other brood items in the nest.

[Topgun757]

About 3-4 months ago I think

[Manitobant]

They could indeed be wanting to hibernate then. There is also a chance that protein is the issue, as if the colony has only been fed 2 fruit flies in the entire 3-4 months that you’ve had them out that would certainly explain why they won’t grow.




Also off topic but your colony shouldn’t be this small if the queen was caught last spring. Perhaps you just have a bad queen.

[Topgun757]

Last fall she was caught, and I gave them more fruit flies a while ago but they didn’t eat them and let them go moldy.

[Topgun757]

I just don’t get why they’d want to hibernate already, I gave her 3 months starting around late fall then brought her out in late February.

[OiledOlives]

My Camponotus novaeboracensis colony has sorta just stagnated recently, their third worker eclosed but was all malformed and was dead. Could it just be stress? They are in a mini hearth and have two workers, I know it’s a bit too much space but when I had to have them in their because I didn’t have anymore test tubes. So far they’ve eaten 2 fruit flies lots of THA supplement sugar water honey and some plain water, what could be going on?

If they've only eaten two fruit flies in 4 months that's a pretty big issue.

[Topgun757]

I have them two more today, either they’ll leave them to mold or hopefully eat them. Maybe soon il give them some sugar water.

[Topgun757]

*gave

[ANTdrew]

*gave

There is an edit option on posts if you notice a typo.

[NotAxo]

since they are nanitics, you should probable cut a roach in half and let the juicy parts be accesible to the queen and/or nanitics.

 

then again idk how large fruit flies are, I've never bothered to know about them

[Topgun757]

since they are nanitics, you should probable cut a roach in half and let the juicy parts be accesible to the queen and/or nanitics.
 
then again idk how large fruit flies are, I've never bothered to know about them

They ate one of the flies partially and didn’t touch the other, and also my parents won’t let me get roaches

[NotAxo]

me too, i just pick em' outta the ground

[ANTdrew]

You know you don’t have to keep the roaches alive, right? Just put the whole container in the freezer as soon as you get it. How about crickets?

[Leptomyrmx]

Crickets are in my opinion the best food for ants. There's not much that can't be eaten so you don't need to clean their outworlds as much, and they come in loads of different sizes. I just buy a bunch every few months and put them in the freezer.