ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Moiser]

Hey Guys,

I have a question for you all. I've been feeding my Camponotus ligniperda colony fruit since I bought them back in April. I have offered them various bits of meat like ham, chicken and beef. Recently I bought some meal worms but so far I've had no joy with them. Can you guys recommend some other protein sources I could try? Do you think a fruit diet will be sufficient for them to thrive?


Regards,
Dave

[damondeionno]

Moisier

Definitely not. Fruit contains insufficient protein for a colony to produce new ants.

What temperature are they at? I've noticed that ligniperda have a tendency to go into hibernation mode even at quite reasonable temperatures. In this state they will consume some sugary liquid food (all they would need in hibernation) but won't touch insects or meat.

[Moiser]

Hey,

Thanks for a speedy reply... I didn't think a sugary diet would suffice. I usually have the day temp set at 25C and night temp at 22C however I slowly lowered the temp in the tank around two weeks ago to around 20C.

[damondeionno]

I'm only guessing here, and I don't want to be responsible for cooking your ants, but I suspect that ligniperda actually need considerably higher temps to actually get going properly. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND TALK TO OTHERS BEFORE DOING ANYTHING RASH.

They are central European ants, and I would guess that the air temp in their natural habitat probably doesn't often exceed 30C. At the same time, they do nest in specific areas (Sunny slopes) and they tend to live in wood (which in the sun will heat up more than the earth). I am wondering if the ground temp and also the nest temp in full sun, throughout summer isn't quite a bit warmer than the air temp.

I acquired a small colony from someone on these boards in Summer. It came with a small heat map which I used under the ytong which I felt would warm the block to over 20C. The result was hibernation. It was only when I put the mat on top of the glass - so that it was heating the nest area directly that they became active (took a couple of days) and started feeding properly. Having kept ants before and considering the average temperature in their original habitat, I would've thought that the heat mat would make the nest too hot, and was surprised that they actively relocated to the hottest area and now seem to be thriving. I don't actually have a thermometer in there so can't tell you the temp, only that it is far hotter than I would've thought healthy for them. They now eat defrosted crickets, whereas before, in hibernation mode, they wouldn't touch them.

I might have this all wrong, and I really don't want to be responsible for cooking your ants, so I'd be interested in input from other people who've kept ligniperda, successfully and unsuccessfully. People talk about ligniperda growing slowly, and perhaps this is part of the problem.

[Moiser]

Thanks for your advice. I have asked a few people on the forum about temperatures, and decided to set the day temp to around 25C. To be honest I haven't much change in their activity from going from 25C to around 20C (the temp in the house). I knew Ligneperda where a slow growing species and thats partly the reason I chose them. Obviously I want to do whats best for them. Any further advice would be apreciated.

[Creature]

Dont put the temperature that high. They hibernate with a temperatur of 5-8°C. Camponotus Ligniperda have an endognous rythm. Their inner clock tells them when to hibernate. The last days of october are their hibernation starting time.

Just keep it them way it is and let them rest.

I let mine hibernate at room temperatur.

[damondeionno]

Creature - Mine were hibernating in summer!

[Zagone]

I'm glad I don't have to worry about hibernating my Camponotus. )

[insanebe]

Creature - Mine were hibernating in summer!

so were mine and they are still hibernating now completely still and motionless

[Moiser]

Hey guys,

I had a quick look today. There are some eggs, I'm not sure if these eggs are a new batch or the second batch. If they are the second batch it means they are over four months old.

Does this sound about right?

I'll leave the temp at room till around March - April then increase the temp back to 25C??

[Zagone]

I think it's safe to say they're new, if eggs get that old there's something wrong.

[damondeionno]

insanebe - perhaps warming them up is worth a try?

[Kale^^]

Liqniperda lives also in north europe (Finland, sweden, norway), and they tend to keep their brood in the warmer parts of their nests and to live in the cooler parts. I don't think high temperatures are essential for this species but they do take the advantage of faster development if they are given the choice.

[insanebe]

insanebe - perhaps warming them up is worth a try?

not in winter :

[Moiser]

It seems my colony is still in hibernation. I've seen very little activity from them since I last posted. I'm starting to wonder if something is wrong?