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gu4rd1an: Help, Camponotus vagus in the fireplace (31. Dez 2008 01:40)

Hello, today a friend of mine was putting some firewood in the fireplace. Inside one of this he found a colony of Camponotus vagus (i think).
He bringed to me two ants... i think a prince and a princess (both with wings) but... isn't it strange? I don't have any experience in camponotus... it's normal?
It's possible for the prince to fecundate the princess in captivity?

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/1692/antsyw2.th.jpg
full size image: http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/1692/antsyw2.jpg

tail__: Re: Help, Camponotus vagus in the fireplace (31. Dez 2008 09:07)

Yes, for European Camponotus it is normal. Alates hatch in autumn and they hibernate with workers, to be ready for flight in late spring.

Most ants must mate in the air, anyway they are siblings so they probably won't want to copulate.

But maybe instead you could rescue the whole colony from this fireplace.

highered: Re: Help, Camponotus vagus in the fireplace (2. Jan 2009 12:27)

Try putting them in a big box. When its hot enough they should want to mate and it might happen.

Kale^^: Re: Help, Camponotus vagus in the fireplace (3. Jan 2009 00:41)

lol that's quite nice. My stepfather found a C. Herculeanus queen once from our sauna. Probably she had been carried with the wood.

Skippy: Re: Help, Camponotus vagus in the fireplace (3. Jan 2009 12:30)

Yes , Camponotus vagus males/females born at the end of summer , and it hibernating with colony during winter. They are swarming at April-May :) , you have to check all wood (if it was not burned :P ) and when was all colony in , there will be probably queen too (or also check other firewoods you got). They will not mate in box :( , because same colony , also C.vagus is specie which is swarming in air.