ANTSTORE World of Ants

[FormicaFun]

I have just received my first queen, a very impressive and big Camponotus micans.

She is now installed in the arena, still in the delivery tube, with about 4 eggs under her. I have put a water supply and some little dried worms in the basin so that she has food.

I was wondering however if she will manage without workers? On this forum most people talk about queens with workers already included, but when I ordered there was no option for ordering extra workers.

So my questions are:
1. Did I do the right things by putting the open tube in the arena?
2. Will she manage without workers and what things do I need to do that other people with workers don't have to?
3. What food would she prefer? (I tried the little dried worms first from the Ant Store food mix).
4. Will she move on her own to the farm or will she wait untill there are workers?

Thanks for your help!!!
Carl

[SteveUK28]

Ok firstly i would have kept her in a sealed test tube untill she has her first workers.. as queens will survive fine on there own untill they have first workers...

Secondly.. getting this spec as your first colony was not the best idea... you should be starting with a lot easier spec. But still you have them now...

Once she has workers then they will prob move into the farm... but as i said i would keep her somewhere dark untill she has a few workers.

[FormicaFun]

Thx for your tips Steve!

I've already put a blanket over the arena to darken it.

Hopefully she'll get along until the workers arive. So no food or water required right? (She still has the cotton with water on the other side)

I was thinking about wood shafings as a ground cover for the arena. Is that a good idea since Camponotus like wood? They might transport some to their nest.

[SteveUK28]

I would make sure there is water there in case she does want some.... Wood Shavings... ummm its up to you really but i wouldnt... when they say they like wood.. they like nesting in it.. like tree branchs...

[FormicaFun]

Here an update on what's been happening with my Camponotus Micans queen:

So far so good! I kept her in the tube, which has been opened and is located in the closed off arena. In there is a water supply and unspoilable food should any workers hatch when I'm gone.

Of the first 4 eggs, she ate the eldest one. I don't know why but perhaps the cocoon was unhealthy. The three others are doing fine, two of them in cocoon stage and the eldest one darkening to a blackish color. I don't have a clue wether this is normal but I'm presuming the worker ant is fully forming inside, so I hope to have my first worker soon!!!

When this happens I'll connect the arena to the farm and hopefully they will move there on their own.

Also, I happened to catch a Lasius Niger queen when I was at the station waiting for my train! The whole area was swarming with queens who were getting stepped on by pedestrians so I quickly put one onside of my empty water bottle. After that I put her into an empty glass salt shaker together with a moist cotton, since I tried looking for testubes in shops but couldn't find any. But I think I need one cause she isn't laying eggs in the salt shaker. Would anybody know in what kind of store I could buy testubes???

Also, Steve, thanks for the tips, she really needed water. When I put a drop inside the tube she rushed to it and drank untill she had to vomit some of it back up hehe.