ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Moiser]

Hey guys,

Its a simple question really, Is the magnet cave on the Antstore shop suitable for Camponotus ligniperda? There are three sizes:

Large 27cm
Medium 22cm
Small 20cm

Would a medium be sufficient or in the long run would I need a large?


Kind regards,
Dave

[damondeionno]

I only have a small colony of Camponotus ligniperda, but in my opinion, no.

[Moiser]

I'm in the same boat as you damondeionno, I have a small colony with a queen and 9 workers. They currently live in the test tube the queen arrived in. I'm just looking at my options for the time when the colony is too big for the test tube... Any advice would be apreciated.


Regards,
Dave

[damondeionno]

My colony is slightly larger. About 30 workers. I think it could get quite large though.

They seem extremely well suited to Ytong, and while mine are currently in a small setup, I will be looking to build them something a bit larger myself. I would be looking to provide a bit of temperature variation throughout the nest - so they can choose the optimal conditions for themselves and brood.

The magnet cave looks small and the layout doesn't look ideal. The entrance is too big and I can't see conditions being that varied through the living area.

In the wild, particularly in temperate regions, a lot of ant species build nests that have access to markedly different conditions. An area in full sun will get pretty warm, while deeper or shaded areas of the nest will remain cool. I think it's important to provide a range of conditions for these ants.

I note that some people are a bit reluctant to build ytong nests. Travis Perkins sell aerated concrete and it's so cheap and easy that you can easily experiment.

[Moiser]

I think the larger cave is 27cmx14cmx14cm but I've gone off the idea of the cave. I'll certainly consider Ytong, the good news is, time is on my side.

I've had her since around april and as far as I know she hasn't eaten anything other than fruit. I'm lead to believe that she is currently in hibernation, maybe when it gets warmer they eat the fodder I offer them. I placed a fresh test tube in the setup, at least its there if they have to move.


Regards,
Moiser

[damondeionno]

All I can say is that I thought mine were in hibernation - they were. I then put a heat mat (7 watts) right up against the glass (rather than under the ytong), and guess what, they got active and relocated to right under the heat mat. They started eating, and 3 weeks later they have about 20 pupae, with big piles of eggs and lavae. They are now totally out of phase of course. I mentioned this on here before and a load of people told me I was mistaken. I really don't want anyone to cook their ants, but as far as I'm concerned if the ants have the choice - they know what they are doing and the change in behaviour is unmistakeable.

[Moiser]

Hey Guys,

I checked on the colony last night and took this picture. I might be wrong but I think the eggs might be developing? If I confirm they are I'll raise the temp but if not I'll wait till the new year.

Regards,
Dave
x

[damondeionno]

Very hard to tell. Do you have a magnifying glass?

[JimmyVe]

You can't tell that from one picture, keep an eye on them for a few days, if you see any difference in the brood they you can say they are developing.

[Moiser]

Hey Guys,

I don't have a magnifying glass... But I now have another camera to try and take some shots with. I'm starting to think the colony may be out of hibernation. Two days ago I went protein shopping for the colony because I wanted to have a decent selection of protein ready when the colony woke up. I bought Live mini crickets and wax worms, tropical fish flakes and freeze dried bloodworms. I put alittle of each in the food tray, just to see what happened. The next day one of the blood worms had been taken, this is the first time to my knowledge that the colony have eaten any fodder at all. If the colony continue to eat the insects I leave them or its confirmed the eggs are developing should I consider raising the temp in the tank?

Sorry for the essay

Moiser
x

[JimmyVe]

Hmmm, if they are not in hibernation (what they should) you can heat up the setup a bit.
Those flish flakes are not so good as food. most ants don't like them.