ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Steve]

Hello ive had my Camponotus ligniperda colonie 6 days now together with ANTSTORE Starter Set - glassfarm/arena - classic now i placed the test tube in the basin (maybe the wrong place but its to big to rest it in the farm) after a day or so i noticed they had moved there nest to the pipe connecting the basin and the ant farm they have been in there about 4 days now, 2 days ago i noticed a dead worker.. yesterday i saw 2 dead now there are 4 dead workers (colonie came with 8 workers 3 new workers hatched). Now i dont know why my ants are nesting there, the first few days they was realy active one or 2 workers out looking around while the rest was tacking care of the eggs now recently they are realy inactive. They don't venture out at all to get food or anything. Im afraid my hole colonie is going to die now i dont know what to do ? why have they made there nest there? when are they not looking for food anymore? please help me what should i do now?

[Philsen]

Hi,

you do everything right.

The test tube should be placed in the basin, also, everything fine.

And yes, it is normal, that Camponotus move in the hose.
They like hoses very much. But why your workers die,
ive no idea....sorry.

And only which you can make are to wait. The ants know what to do.

[Stilton]

Hi Steve

I have recently started a colony of these ants; I don't know why your workers are dying but I can share my own experience. I received a colony with 3 workers 2 weeks ago (so you were lucky to get 8!) and have not had any new workers yet. My colony has stayed in the test tube, maybe because it is smaller. For the first couple of days there was lots of activity but since then they stay in the tube most of the time. A worker comes out to gather food at least every few days although I usually don't see it. As far as I can tell they are fine.

Maybe if you can provide some more information one of the more experienced mymecologists on here can help you. What are the conditions like in your set-up: temperature, humidy, sun/shade. Do you disturb the ants at all, what are you feeding them?

Good luck with your colony, I hope it starts growing again.

[Steve]

Hello Stilton could you please tell me what you are feeding your ants? ive tried insects and honey water i cant be 100% shure if they are or are not getting the honey water to the queen or other workers. they havent touched the insects at all. Temp is at 24-28°C Basin is a little moist as there are live plants in there sand in the ant farm part is just damp. Basin gets sun in the morning the farm part dose not. And no havent touched the ants since they have been placed in there home thanks

[miszt]

Take your ant farm out of the sun, it will act like a green house and get very hot if you place it directly in the sun can easily reach 40 degrees + on a sunny day and if they have no where to hide they will have a problem

have u tried making a starter tunnel? just get a pencil and put a hole in the sand/earth u have in the farm

dont worry to much about workers dying, theyv had a stressful journey to get to you, hopefully they will perk up a bit and move into the starter tunnel

[Stilton]

Steve, I've been feeding:

A mix of sugar, honey and water (equal parts sugar and honey, just enough water to dissolve the sugar, although I don't think the proportions are crucial), which was very popular. This is what I usually have available for them in the basin, changed every 2 days.

For variety I've tried a sugar cube and some jam (home-made so I know it hasn't got anything bad in it). They liked the sugar cube but I'm not sure about the jam, I haven't seen thm on it but that doesn't mean they are not taking it when I'm not looking.

For protein I've kept a dead or stunned insect available in the basin all the time, removing any uneaten after 2 days. So far the ants have taken a small moth, crane fly, spiders and blue-bottles. The blue-bottles have had their heads eaten but not their bodies, the other insects have all been taken into the nest, but they were relatively small.

miszt makes some good points. I have my farm and basin in the shade, if anything I'm concerned it's too col for them to be really active. I've just bought a ceramic lamp that I intend to use to warm a stone in the farm to encourage them to make the move.

[Steve]

Well the sun only did hit them in the morning early hours for an hour or so But they are moved now to a much quieter shaded place About the feeding insects and such? Any that i should be awear of not to feed them? thanks for all the replys also made a starter tunnel just a matter of leaveing them to it now hope they come around. thanks

[Stilton]

Just avoid any critters that could harm the ants or would be too hard for them to eat, for example wasps or woodlice. These should be fine too if you cut them up first. The ants do seem to prefer soft-bodied food though, so if you can get moths or crane flies these are ideal. Also avoid collecting from anywhere you think pesticides may have been used!

I haven't fed mine mealworms yet but these are often reported as being liked and they are readily available from pet shops. They do need cutting up first.

Hope all goes well, let us know how they get on.