5 replies to this topic

[Deluga]

5/27/2017

 

So this will be my first ever Journal in the time I've kept ants, so fo me this would be quite interesting.

 

I caugt 10 Camponotus herculeanus withing an hour May 27th. I have been very interested in this species since the size of the ants are big, and probaly one of the biggest species in Denmark.

All of them were found in a dead log, and I could see alot of queens making there new nest, untill I interupted them. I would have caugt a few more, but I ran out of supplies, which isn't really a problem, cause I think 10 queens it's a good amount till next year.

 

Down below there wil be a picture of each queen. My plan is to check them once or twice a week and then write and update.

 

Queen 1

 

Queen 2

 

Queen 3

 

Queen 4

 

Queen 5

 

Queen 6

 

Queen 7

 

Queen 8

 

Queen 9

 

Queen 10

Edited by Deluga, June 11 2017 - 11:06 AM.

[Deluga]

Update 6/4/2017

 

I've had those queens for 8 days now, and wanted to check on them to see how it was going so far.
Unfortunately my phone isn't really that good for taking pictures and I don't know if I should buy another phone or maybe just a camera, so I can get some better pictures...

 

Queen 1

 

She got a good amount of brood, I would say around 7-9 eggs, it was hard to get a decent picture since she covered the eggs.

 

Queen 2

 

She's got around 10 eggs as far as I can count.

 

Queen 3

 

Also got a good amount of eggs, I would say between 8-10 eggs.

 

Queen 4

 

So, this queen has 9 eggs, however 2 of them are place away from the other, which I find strange. They are not really that far away, just placed above the queen and the other eggs. If you look at the picture you can see the 2 eggs placed above the queen and the other pile of eggs.

 

Queen 5

 

This queen also got 10 eggs.

 

Queen 6

 

So, while i was inspecting this queen, I found out she had 7 eggs, and shortly after she was about to lay another egg, so I watched her lay an egg which was AMAZING! Big experince!

 

Queen 7

 

This queen queen probaly has the biggest amount of eggs, 12 eggs can I count to.

 

Queen 8

 

This queen has 9 eggs.

 

Queen 9

 

This queen has 8 eggs. Looks like she is injured, she don't use the leg in the back right side, and it's bended in under her body.

 

Queen 10

 

This queen is the 3rd one that I can count up to 10 eggs.

Edited by Deluga, June 4 2017 - 7:21 AM.

[Deluga]

Update 6/11/2017

 

Yesterday I caught another C. herculeanus queen, but I will not update on her so often, I have placed her in a closet and there she'll be for a month or 2.

I decided to check on my other queens today after a week since I last checked them, and they are looking good.

 

No pictures this time, there will get some new pictures when they get their pupae!

 

Queen 1

 

It doesn't looks like she has layed any other eggs but her first larvae has arrived, it looks like she has around 8-10 larvae.

 

Queen 2

 

Same with this queen, no new eggs, but all other eggs has turned in to larvae here, about 10 larvae.

 

Queen 3

 

She has around 10-12 larvae. No new eggs.

 

Queen 4

 

Same aswell, 10 larvae no new eggs.

 

Queen 5

 

About 8 larvae.

 

Queen 6

 

10 larvae aswell.

 

Queen 7

 

11 larvae as far as I can count.

 

Queen 8

 

9 larvae

 

Queen 9

 

7-8 larvae.

 

Queen 10

 

8-9 larvae.

[VoidElecent]

Wow, what beautiful queens! I have always loved the shininess of Camponotus herculeanus. Good luck with them!

[Deluga]

I agree i also love the shininess of Camponotus herculeanus queens!

Thanks.

[Deluga]

Update 7/20/2017

 

Ok, so it's more than a month ago i last updated this Journal, and for that I'm sorry. I have had some very busy days, and struggling to get the time to update it, however today I decided that I should update this Journal. 

So what has happened since last time?

Well, due to the long update time, there is alot of new things, alot of amazing things and some strange ones too actually. 

It turns out that just a couple of days ago, 2-3 days, most of my queens just got their first workers!

 

Picture posted down below! Sorry for my bad pictures, my phone is horrible, and right now, I can't afford a new one...

 

Queen 1

 

As you can see, the first worker for this queen is here. She still has 4 pupae left, and a big pile of brood. 

 

 

Queen 2

 

This queen also got her first worker, she still got 3 pupae and a pile og brood.

 

 

Queen 3

 

First worker, 2 pupae left and a big pile of brood.

 

 

Queen 4

 

So this is for me a little bit strange. It only seems like she has eggs and a few small larvae, no pupae. She is caught at the same time as the other ones, but probaly she is just slower than the rest.

 

 

Queen 5

 

This is the fastest growing colony so far, 2 workers, and seem like the 3rd might join soon, I can see the worker in the pupae pretty good, and that should be possible in the picture too. Big pile of brood.

 

 

Queen 6

 

This queen doesn't have her first worker yet, but in just a couple of days she should have it, seems like one of her pupae might be ready to eclose in 4-5 days.

 

 

Queen 7

1 worker, 2 puapae and a big pile of larvae and eggs.

 

 

Queen 8

 

Well, this is a little bit strange too, the pupae is places away from the water, and the eggs is places in the other end, near the worker. At the left side of the worker is where the water is, and in the other side with the queen and pupae, is where the exit is. She is the only queen that has placed her pupae that far away. However she is taking care of them, she is just.... Different.

 

 

Queen 9

 

She got 1 worker, 4 pupae left and some eggs/larvae, spread around.

 

 

Queen 10

No workers yet, but she will have one in the next few days, hopefully tomorrow or saturday.

 

 

 

So this sums up what has happend since last time. I will probaly start to slowly feed the colonies with sugar water and a little bit of protein. but not that often. 

I will also try to make an update more often, so we don't wait another month.