pooball879: identify (12. Jun 2009 02:39)

i have caught wath i think is a Camponotus species. I live in canada it was crawling on pavement beside me so i grabbed it and it has a red middle and the head of Camponotus.spec it's a queen.

pooball879: Re: identify (12. Jun 2009 15:41)

and if you do no what does it eat and do they dig in sand or wood or would they like a cement nest because we don't have y tong hear .

Kale^^: Re: identify (12. Jun 2009 16:49)

I'm sorry but nobody can identify your queen with those specs. Please post a picture so we can help you.
Camponotus eat insects, sweet liquids and water. They usually nest in wood (carpenter ants) but some species can nest in sand (I.E. Camponotus l igniperda)

pooball879: Re: identify (12. Jun 2009 18:07)

ok

it might be Camponotus herculeanus or Camponotus ligniperda like you said i'll just wait and see and i'll post some pics in a couple days .

one more question does anyone no how long it takes for an egg to hatch.

Cordovan: Re: identify (12. Jun 2009 18:22)

Depends on the species... Yet 6-10 weeks should be fine for many of the european ant species.

When you start with a queen only, you will need a lot of patience, especially if it's a Camponotus spec... ;-)

pooball879: Re: identify (12. Jun 2009 20:37)

thanks i have her in a teporary setup until i get some tubes cement and a plastic tank and i'm keeping her setup covered with a towel.

badman: Re: identify (13. Jun 2009 23:20)

Camponotus herculaneus and Camponotus ligniperda queens have a very different shape. The ligniperda queens have very large gaster, and the herculaneus have a larger head. This is from my experience only, there is still a lot of variation within the species.

pooball879: Re: identify (15. Jun 2009 18:27)

she's a lig thanks for info

pooball879: Re: identify (15. Jun 2009 18:28)

i left over the weekend and still no eggs.

Cordovan: Re: identify (16. Jun 2009 12:08)

Don't worry, mate. Catching the queen and placing her in a new setup means a lot of stress, from which she needs to "recover" first... ;-)

In order to give you a little guideline about the approximate growth stages:
egg to larvae: abt 10-16 days
larvae to pupae: abt 10-14 days
pupae to worker: abt 10 - 24 days

For this time the queen only needs water, but no food. Additionally it's best not to disturb her in between, in order to avoid stress...

Could you post some pictures of the queen and the setup?