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Well the hole holes thing is not a bad idea, you just need to refill it almost every day to keep the farm moist. When you use a leg you don't need to refill every day, that is way i always try to use legs. :)
I think it could work out Steve. Maybe it is harder to keep the hole farm moist that way. But you can try it out.
5 cm, is more than enough for a small colony to make there nest in there. :) Also when you moist your y-tong it will also moist the sand.
Ahhh yes kale ytong and sand do NOT mix well mate.. when i first did my pallidula setup the ytong turned my sand into a swamp... it was awfull i had to completly redo it. I used a ruler up against the ytong and used selant to keep it in place.. that way none of the sand would get wet... just some the same side as the ytong.. but i added very small pebbles to that side, ive had no problems since i did that.. i have pics somewhere...
Oh darn you're right. The sand does suck the water out of the ytong. Hmm maybe i'll make a new nest anyway. This y-tong doesn't seem to take any water.
I've just understood that this species is European. So this topic shall be moved to the European ants forum.
Anyway: I got the colony now. They came with one queen and maybe 15 workers, instead of 6. No brood, they had hibernated for a while (2-3 weeks).
I got http://www.mrowkoyad.pl/product_info.php?currency=EUR&products_id=57&language=en
with 20cm*20cm arena, and put the Dalmaticus tube in it. They moved within 7 hours (last checked before going to sleep, and in the morning they were init). These ants seem very nice, body is like most camponotus but much smaller.
http://www.muurahaiset.net/gallery/files/1/1/9/kuvei1_032.jpg
The ants in their formicarium right after placing them in.
http://www.muurahaiset.net/gallery/files/1/1/9/kuvei1_041.jpg
the ants in the cork nest
http://www.muurahaiset.net/gallery/files/1/1/9/kuvei1_030.jpg
The ants in the test-tube (mini test tube)
http://www.muurahaiset.net/gallery/files/1/1/9/kuvei1_029.jpg
the ants in the test-tube another pic.
For now i cannot say much about the ants, they seem to be hibernating. In the spring, i expect a egg-boom!
Nice one Kale :) , this specie is similar to Camponotus fallax , just live more at south of Europe. Radek´s cork nest is fantastic for them , that you can believe , because in nature this one lives in small holes in wood or btw wood-bark. When is this colony so small you couldnt have fear about destroy cork , they can maybe make some visual rebuilds but not new holes - until colony will be bigger. From spring you have to feed them well , the best by flyes and honey water and do not stop with feeding for any day , colony of dalmaticus grow much quicklier than other Camponotus with which you had experience what I know (ligniperda ..)
Good luck
Steve's basin looks like its full of water
Thanks for the information, skippy :) Oh btw should i try to keep the cork a bit moist or just dry? It's pretty hard to moist it!
Nice ants, guys :grin:
When I was on holiday on Greece island Corfu, I was hunting for the ants every day.... I saw C. dalmaticus just two times, workers.... Than one time, three days before leaving I´ve found adult colony about 700 workers there.. Young females and males was walking on my hand, it was very nice look. I´ve put them back into the nest, which was in one old dried reed.. The reed plant was growing few metres near the beach, I was hunting for ants just near the beach.... Ct. viaticus, Cr. smythi and this Camponotus dalmaticus was living there.... I ´ve caught 2 Crematogaster smythi young colonies here, and it was very sad to find 4 died queens of this species in old reeds... :cry: :cry: :cry:
During hibernation had all but 1 worker and the queen died. I guess they dried to death?
After some weeks the queen had laid several eggs but then my littlesister (18 month) had got my door open and opened the test tube, allowing the queen to escape. Only the worker and some eggs are left :/