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Post by trueviper on May 2, 2015 19:05:45 GMT
18th April 2015
Today I received my C.cruentatus colony from Anthouse consisting of 1 queen, 7 workers, 3 larvae and no eggs. The colonies test tube has been placed in a plastic tub with a PTFE barrier on the top inside rim within a glass vivarium which also has a PTFE barrier of about 2 inches and also on the underside rim of the fine mesh lid. A heat mat has been placed under one half of the viv and one half of the tub is positioned on top to offer a temperature gradient. I have covered the back, sides,and top with cardboard to keep the enviroment dark and to keep stress levels to a minimum whilst ensuring adequate ventilation. The vivarium is placed in a dark room which has no additional heating all year round so will also be used for hibernation as the temperature will rise and fall throughout the year matching the temperature outside but with protection from frost. Low temperatures in winter will be monitored and will be prevented from falling below 5-6 degrees centigrade. The room will also be free of any disturbances that could cause the queen any unnecessary stress as I have read that egg and brood eating is common with Camponotus spp. queens when exposed to stress.
After placing the test tube in the vivarium I provided whey protein/honey water in a green plastic dish close to the entrance of the test tube and a brown cricket cut into chunks in a clear plastic dish next to it.
This was the moment I've been imagining now for weeks with much anticipation as I gave the colony half an hour to warm up before removing the cotton wool stopper from the test tube entrance! To be honest, I don't know what I was expecting? Probably complete mayhem as the entire colony made a mad rush out of the test tube, defeating both PTFE barriers, crawling up the glass sides of the vivarium in seconds and clinging to the fine mesh lid with their jaws fighting for freedom from their enforced captivity!
Instead what actually happened was a complete surprise. Out of the7 workers only one rushed out of the test tube, immediately discovering the honey water and proceeded to feast readily. I laughed my head off as it was followed by another. Over the next 4 hours I watched these same 2 workers explore the plastic tub, returning to the honey water and the test tube repeatedly to feed their sisters. No other workers left the test tube, in fact they themselves shared the food that they had been fed with each other. Not once did they climb up the sides of the plastic tub. I'm not sure if ants sleep but the queen appeared exhausted and remained motionless lying on the floor of the test tube, no doubt a result of the 11 day journey being bashed around in an envelope on her way to me. The workers left her alone. As I watched I was very aware of how distinctly bold these 2 workers were compared to the other 5 workers. Completely fearless is how I would describe them while the other workers would only hang around the entrance, waving their antennae around sensing their new environment only to retreat back into the safe confines of their test tube home whilst all the time one worker always remained at the entrance keeping guard! I've kept a lot of different creatures in captivity throughout my lifetime but I really can't remember the last time I felt this utterly and completely fascinated by these ants behaviour. Completely rooted to the spot was I.
After a while the 2 scouts returned to the test tube and they all seemed to quieten down, probably taking five after a long awaited meal. I am glad though that my whey protein/honey water concoction seems to be a big hit with these little monsters. They couldn't get enough of it.
I look forward to this colony being a big success. I can only hope.
The colony is in the vivarium on the right.
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Post by trueviper on May 2, 2015 19:06:20 GMT
21st April 2015
Noticed a very odd thing when I checked the colony this morning. Last night I provided a fresh brown cricket cut up into chunks on a piece of tin foil for them, only to discover today a leg at the opposite end of the tub near the back end outside of the test tube (the leg had been removed from the body by myself and not the ants) and the other bits of the cricket appeared to have been moved around. There were no bits of cricket in the test tube but they were obviously doing something with it, perhaps hopefully feeding off of it? Very strange, wish I could have seen them doing that.
Today I have provided a water source in the form of a test tube filled completely with water and a cotton wool stopper right at the mouth. I am providing honey water but thought they should also have a source of fresh water.
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Post by trueviper on May 2, 2015 19:07:01 GMT
23rd April 2015
For the last couple of days I haven't noticed much interest in the daily fresh medium brown crickets I've been leaving and since I've noticed 2 workers foraging occasionally I thought I'd try some different prey items and see if they respond. I've been stock piling spiders, gnats and small moths in my freezer so I placed one of each into the tub near the test tubes. After a couple of minutes one of the workers came out for a forage and stumbled upon the dead gnat and immediately pounced on it and began biting it and spraying formic acid on it. It then dragged it into the test tube. After a couple of minutes there were 4 workers in the tub actively hunting , the most I've seen so far, and collected the other 2 prey items. It seemed to me that they were in a feeding frenzy, running about in the tub really fast, the first time I had witnessed this behaviour so I added a few more small moths and gnats and these were also collected. I was so pleased with this and really enjoyed watching them feed and carry their food into the test tube, with varying degrees of comic inability!
However what happened next I was not expecting. The workers began bringing the prey items back out of the test tube and dumping it and I assumed that perhaps they didn't like the food I was offering after all. I've heard that C.cruentatus can be fussy eaters so I believed they just weren't interested.
I then realised that perhaps, because the test tube the colony came in is actually quite small, there just wasn't enough room in it for all that food. So I set up a longer test tube and have placed that in the tub, the colony only has 2 larvae (not 3 as I first thought) and no eggs of yet so I will leave it and allow them to decide when to move into it.
The next morning the dumped excess food appeared to have been eaten and a small miden had been created so my instincts appear to have been correct.
Also I checked on the colony after dark with a torch at about 1100hrs and the queen was outside of the test tube near the entrance. However with the torchlight on her she climbed back inside and I turned off the torch and left them alone. It's likely she was feeding on the excess food.
This evenings behaviour was the best I have seen and I really enjoyed watching them collect food.
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Post by trueviper on May 2, 2015 19:07:30 GMT
25th April 2015
The colony had an important night tonight. I noticed late in the afternoon that 4 of the workers had moved into the larger test tube with the 2 larvae, 1 worker was going back and forth picking at a small locust I put in earlier, leaving 2 workers guarding the queen. 1 behind and 1 in front, just like a royal guard, it was surreal!
Early this evening, as the light was fading in the darkened room I could sense 2 or 3 of the workers becoming a bit restless, constantly moving in and out of the queens chamber. Straining to see in the near darkness, with a worker guiding and coaxing her, I could just about make out the large shape of the queen making her way ceremoniously from the small test tube she was shipped in, to the new larger and roomier one. It was a fascinating thing too watch the ants instincts at work, exactly why I have decided to study social insects in the first place.
Perhaps now she may feel more comfortable to begin her next brood. I shall leave them alone now for a couple of days until I remove the small test tube and replace that one with another larger one.
Needless to say I'm pretty happy with tonight's events and I really do have a good feeling about this colony. They're settling in to their new home nicely and above all the queen seems really relaxed.
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Post by trueviper on May 2, 2015 19:08:12 GMT
27th April 2015 Checked on the colony this evening and there appears to be a number of eggs with the 2 larvae. I look forward to the colony having some extra mouths to feed
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Post by trueviper on May 2, 2015 19:08:49 GMT
29th April 2015
It appears there were actually 3 larvae as I first thought and these have now developed into pupa, 1 being much larger than the other 2. The colony looks very busy tending to the brood and it would seem that the heat mat being used is having a positive effect.
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Post by trueviper on May 2, 2015 19:09:26 GMT
1st May 2015
I'd like to amend the previous journal entry. It seems I was mistaken, there are 3 well developed larvae in the colony and not pupa as I originally thought.
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Post by trueviper on May 2, 2015 19:10:42 GMT
2nd May 2015
One of the larvae is now definitely a pupa, I took a good look with the magnifying glass and could make out the distinct shape of a developing ant. No mistake this time!
I've yet to buy myself a macro lens but here's how the colony looks at the moment. The brood is on the left whilst the 2 workers on the right are busy gathering up some cotton wool that they must have ripped out.
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Post by trueviper on May 3, 2015 18:21:19 GMT
3rd May 2015
The colony has had a couple of unfortunate issues today. For a start one of the workers has been behaving strangely, since yesterday it has been trying to climb up the PTFE protected sides of the plastic tub and hasn't given up trying for over 24 hours now. In fact it has actually escaped the tub twice but couldn't make it up the PTFE protected glass sides of the vivarium, it kept falling down. I've caught it and put it back but it wont return to the test tube nest and is still trying to get out. Every now and again it stops for a while to rest before going back and trying again. Perhaps this worker somehow knows it's going to die so it is instinctively trying to get away from the colony? Anyhow I have a strong feeling it wont last the night, I've read ants can die from exhaustion by doing this. And the fact that the ant wont return to the nest is also a cause for concern considering how strong that instinct usually is.
And also the pupa I discovered yesterday has vanished. It's not in the test tubes and I can't see it anywhere in the tub. Perhaps they've hidden it somewhere out of site but most probably it has been eaten. Maybe there was something wrong with it.The 2 larvae and eggs are still there and are being tended to as normal. On a positive note I did observe one of the workers taking maple syrup water today so at least I know they like it. Also I fed the colony a baby locust and the enthusiastic response to it was very encouraging, it's the second one I've fed them and they seem to go down very well. In fact the worker that was chewing on it became very excited by it, running around really fast and pouncing on it as if it was still alive. I've never seen them move that quickly before and I'm talking faster than the eye can see. And then I watched as the worker returned repeatedly to the nest to feed its nest mates. That is always a good thing to see.
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Post by trueviper on May 4, 2015 18:48:10 GMT
4th May 2015 The renegade worker has yet again escaped the plastic tub and is now wandering aimlessly around the vivarium. Animal instinct and behaviour is an amazing thing and if you pay attention to it you can gain an understanding of why they do what they do. I have to assume that there is something physically wrong with this worker and that it has purposefully removed itself from the colony perhaps so as to not pass on and infect the colony with whatever it's affliction is. Some honey water has been left for it and I shall leave it and see what happens however I'm sure it wont survive. I may even remove it and humanely destroy it tomorrow if it's still alive just in case it is suffering in some unseen way. It did venture back into the test tube nest earlier but didn't stay long and went back to it's escape attempt which again obviously succeeded. It's a shame that I've lost a worker and a pupa these last couple of days but I'm sure it's for the long term health of the colony,I'm now down to 6 workers and 2 larvae. The colony's still actively tending to the brood and the eggs have increased in number so I'm confident that things will soon improve. On a positive note I did at least get to see how Camponotus spp. look in the vivarium which will eventually be used as the combined nesting and foraging area once the colony reaches the appropriate size. I have to say the worker looked pretty cool walking around the vivarium and climbing the glass sides even though , being just the one, it did look a bit lost. I can't wait 'till I have a colony numbering in the hundreds, that will look amazing And once the colony increases in size again a ytong nest will be provided and the vivarium will become the out world but I'm years away from that stage.
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Post by trueviper on May 5, 2015 16:23:23 GMT
5th of May
I've read online that the pupa that disappeared is known as a naked pupa because it wasn't encased in a cocoon and when I saw it it looked like the shape of an ant and not a cocoon. The information that I came across stated that Camponotus queens are known for eating naked pupa, not always but it does happen apparently. I shall have to keep an eye on the other 2 larvae and hopefully they will spin cocoons and won't suffer the same fate. However I'm now concerned that maybe there's a reason for the naked pupa and perhaps there's something I'm doing wrong. Or not doing.
P.S. A lack of correct humidity is not a factor as can be caused if the cotton wool plug is too tight which can stop the water from evaporating. There is slight condensation at the other side of the stopper which is correct.
P.P.S. I've been advised to place some sand in with the colony to help with spinning of cocoons. This I have now done and will watch and see if they move it into the test tube nest for the larvae.
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Post by trueviper on May 6, 2015 21:27:40 GMT
6th May
I found the renegade worker dead in the vivarium yesterday and removed it to an airtight container. It will be monitored for a few days to check if a fungus sprouts from it, if it does there's a good chance that the whole colony has been infected. There has to be a reason for this worker trying so desperately to escape the nesting area.
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Post by trueviper on May 9, 2015 10:38:01 GMT
9th May 2015
The queen has now devoured the 2nd naked pupa leaving 1 larva remaining. A small amount of sand has been provided so hopefully it will be used for future pupae however if this colony continues to produce naked pupae and the queen persists in eating them then I feel this colony will no longer be able to sustain itself and will eventually die out.
However I shall not give up on this species and if the worst happens then the next time I shall try again with a larger, more established colony with 30+ workers.
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Post by trueviper on May 9, 2015 11:32:08 GMT
9th May 2015
I may have to accept the inevitable with this colony. So at the moment I'm thinking of ordering a colony of C.vagus with 20-40 workers from Ants Kalytta. Occultus has a very impressive colony of this species from that supplier and his video footage of it looks brilliant with some nice size medians and majors. Also in his footage you can see plenty of normal encased pupae.
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Post by trueviper on May 11, 2015 21:16:05 GMT
11th May 20115
The last of the 3 larva this colony came with is now a naked pupa. And I still have no idea as to why exactly this colonies larvae are unable to spin cocoons. I have now packed up this colony ready for posting. It's been a great learning experience keeping this colony and I feel that somehow I'm abandoning it however I'm hoping it's new keeper will have some success in saving it. This journal is now closed.
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