Kessler: Camponotus cf. nicobarensis (26. Dez 2007 00:13)

Hello

I have bought a Colony of this species and I have a problem :

- I can't see about the brood
- My workers died and I can't do anything against it, because I don't know what I make wrong.
I and a many other User think it must be the atmospheric humidity.
- The workers loose legs on different places.

So my question is : Have you got this specie, too?
Have you got problems, too? The same problems? Or it is all right by your ants? When it is all right can you give me your data of temperature and atmospheric humidity?

Sorry for my bad English, I am from Germany an need held quickly.

Here are some videos from my Problems these are videos from the last seconds of the worker life.This is a very crazy conduct.

Video 1

Video 2

I hope you can help me!
Yours Kessler

Skippy: (26. Dez 2007 11:08)

I had this specie too :)

I had them in cca 70 percent humidity and temp about 25´C ... I dont know , this specie is not so hard to keep, maybe sometimes queen dont lay eggs but so quickly dieing workers ... maybe some other factors.

First video it looks like on normal death of worker, he is good feeded so I dont know.

Second video , I saw he has problems with neural system and it happen if you catch them by your fingers or after fight with some other ant. So probably I think you cought them quickly with fingers and he is "ill" , "damaged" ... this problem when is small can be ok later , but very times ant became died :( ... you cannot catch this specie with fingers , this specie dont like it

Sorry for my small help :(

Skippy

JimmyVe: (26. Dez 2007 11:31)

I wish i could help you more to but this is a wired case.
Probably a decease but that is not helping you...
If the temperature and humidity is wright and you have fed them there is not much more you can do at this moment. If they are sick, which i think is the problem, you just need to wait and hope it will turn over.
Good luck.

Kessler: (26. Dez 2007 12:18)

@ Skippy : Thank you very much :
These are the data of temperature an atmospheric humidity who's i have.
But i don't touch the workers this impulse conduct is the beginning of the last seconds.

It must be the humidity in the y-tong, I and more users think so.
I won't water the Y-Tong in future so much.

@ JimmyVe: Sometimes I think so, too.It can't be my mistake.

So thank you all maybe other user will write here,too.
yours Kessler.

JimmyVe: (26. Dez 2007 16:25)

Is the y-tong that moist ? How do you moist it ? Can you place pictures. If that is really the problem you and we can learn from that mistake.

miszt: (26. Dez 2007 16:40)

Sorry to hear your ants are dying :(

Watched the videos, and they seem to have some kind of paralysis, although not total, I've seen 'old' ants die like this, infact more often than not exactly like that, they often crawl around without any appernt purpose and with very little motor control.

Definitly check the moisture in your nest, this could easily be dehydration, also have you got a good supply of water that they can reach? must be pure water, with no sugar, Dehydration is a fast killer for ants, and sugars dehydrate them, so you must have both seperate

the fact that your Queen may have eaten the eggs is also an indication that they are lacking somthing, probly water as you said you have fed them

Kessler: (26. Dez 2007 19:30)

@ JimmyVe : I can't make pictures, because I won't disturb them.
But I will explain you : I have a big Hole in the Y-Tong for watered and then the atmospheric humidity and the y-tong moist together ist to much.
So I won't waterded/moist the Y-Tong so much.
The atmospheric humidity alone makes it better.Than is the Y-tong moist from the atmospheric humidity and a little bit dry, because I don't moist him additional.
That must be the result of the Problem.

@ miszt : Thank you so much! Yes I give them pure water. But I will give them water nearer by the Y-Tong in future.
That can/must be the result of the problem.

And thank you @ all. You are all experts in keeping ants.
You have found the result and my german friends didn't find the result so exact how you did.
Thanks.
yours Kessler

miszt: (26. Dez 2007 19:48)

good luck :) keep us updated on their progress, have you got a thread on here for them?

Kessler: (27. Dez 2007 00:48)

Oh thank you. I will keep you updated on their progress.Of course, I have a Diary ;-)

JimmyVe: (27. Dez 2007 18:52)

@Kessler: it is a very nice diary ! Nice pictures to. Now i can see what you mean with the hole in the y-tong. ;) It looks not to much to me to keep the nest area moist, but like you said, if the humidity in the farm is high you don't need to keep the nest area really moist, just a little bit.

Are there still ants dying ?

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