found this queen(?) inside of a rotten
stump today 6-13-08. anybody know what species?
[added many photos. to the title] --antdude
0 Kudo
Ant queen ID (many photos.)
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 Vulgaris |
Ant queen ID (many photos.) |
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Adult Worker Ant Posts: 211 06/13/2008 7:22 PM |
found this queen(?) inside of a rotten
stump today 6-13-08. anybody know what species?
[added many photos. to the title] --antdude
Last Edited By: antdude 09/21/2008 2:05 PM.
Edited 1 time.
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antdude |
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Posts: 17202 06/13/2008 7:27 PM
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Hello Vulgaris and welcome to the forum. It looks like a carpenter ant to me (don't know the exact species).
Quote of the Week: "No, I'd prefer a cooler WITHOUT an ant-door, thank you..." --unknown. Ant/AntDude @
The Ant Farm (Personal Web Site), Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL), and The Ant Farm and Myrmecology Forum.
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Tleilaxu |
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Young Worker Ant Posts: 61 06/13/2008 7:39 PM |
That holds the record for the fastest reply I have seen on this site! Welcome Vulgaris! I hope you like it here and find all your info you need!
I am going to guess Camponotus pennsylvanicus. 
Last Edited By: Tleilaxu 06/13/2008 7:42 PM.
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Vulgaris |
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Adult Worker Ant Posts: 211 06/13/2008 7:39 PM |
thanks!
 i thought it might be a carpenter ant... i just dont know what species.
also i might need some help if i do keep her |
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antdude |
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Posts: 17202 06/13/2008 9:04 PM
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Tleilaxu wrote: LOL. I can be quick sometimes.
Quote of the Week: "No, I'd prefer a cooler WITHOUT an ant-door, thank you..." --unknown. Ant/AntDude @
The Ant Farm (Personal Web Site), Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL), and The Ant Farm and Myrmecology Forum.
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chazzbo 77 |
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Callow Ant Posts: 13 06/14/2008 8:47 PM |
Camponotus penn. if you're in the right area, I'd say. I may be a bit rusty, though.
Regards, Chalie |
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MrILoveTheAnts |
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TAFMF Addict Posts: 3223 06/14/2008 8:50 PM |
I'd say Camponotus pennsylvanicus too.
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Vulgaris |
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Adult Worker Ant Posts: 211 06/15/2008 8:02 PM |
thanks yeah im in central PA
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chazzbo77 |
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Henchant Posts: 1355 06/15/2008 8:55 PM
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I'd actually put her in a test tube setup. Refer to my last post. Good luck with her--they're fairly easy to get started.
Here you'll find my crude diagram and description on a test tube setup. I believe more can be found int he FAQ http://antfarm.yuku.com/topic/7084 |
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MrILoveTheAnts |
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TAFMF Addict Posts: 3223 06/16/2008 9:17 AM |
She needs a source of moisture at any rate, (not open water.) The wood chip is fine but I'd be afraid of mushrooms or something bad growing from it. I know
she's a carpenter ant but it's OK to use some dirt too. Right now you're making more of a cluster cell for her which is fine.
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bobolak |
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Minor Worker Ant Posts: 133 06/16/2008 9:55 AM |
It is much, much too big! All ants are agoraphobic, they need a small room to feel safe (even the nomadic ants build very crowded camps). And of course it must
be damp. That's why prepared test tube is recommended, until you build some serious formicarium.
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chazzbo77 |
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Henchant Posts: 1355 06/16/2008 12:02 PM
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bobolak wrote: No, it's not too big at all. Just make sure she has moisture in there one way or another. Sure, smaller spaces make them feel safer but as long as
she's in there and left alone and also is kept somewhere dark, she'll be laying in no time. When I'm short on test tubes, I often use Rubbermaid
containers to get them started in. They're much larger than the claustral cell you've got there. Again, she'll be fine in there as long as you
provide her with moisture and darkness. Good luck.
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Vulgaris |
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Adult Worker Ant Posts: 211 06/16/2008 7:47 PM |
ok... i will add a small piece of wet cotten in there... i have not checked on her since yesterday she is still in a dark spot in my room.
i will try the test tube thing next season... the keeping of this ant was not planned, i have lots of wasp colonies that are taking up my time and supplies right now one question about the testtube model..... if you fill it with half water and then plug it with a cotton ball, wont the water just leak right thrugh the cotton and drown the ant? another question: once she lays eggs that i notice, will she need fed? is honey ok? what about the larva what do you guys feed them? |
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Vulgaris |
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Adult Worker Ant Posts: 211 06/17/2008 6:36 AM |
uh oh! is this bad!? she has shredded the rotten wood to peices.... if she does lay eggs how will i even be able to see them amongst all of the debris?
i have added a small piece of wet cotton in there.. 
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chazzbo77 |
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Henchant Posts: 1355 06/17/2008 6:37 AM
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Surprisingly, no. It will not plug through as long as there is enough plug. The plug stops the water but the cotton stays damp so the queen can suckle some
moisture. And for your second question, she won't need food until after the first worker ecloses. She stays alive off of her now useless wing muscles and
is able to feed her first brood from this.
Also, keep in mind that when the cotton ball dries out, I'd just rewet it with an eyedropper or something similar. This is just because she may keep some brood on the cotton ball, and by you changing it, you'd remove some of her brood. Also, don't drench the cotton ball--just make it damp. Good luck. |
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chazzbo77 |
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Henchant Posts: 1355 06/17/2008 6:44 AM
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Wow, you posted the same time I did. Now as an answer to your second post, she's a carpenter ant so it was bound to happen sooner or later. She'll
probably lay eggs near or in that since that's probably where she feels safe being. You may not be able to see them, but you will when the brood gets
larger and larvae and pupae start metamorphosing. She actually seems to like it in there. She seems content and she's making it her own. Good luck with
her.
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Vulgaris |
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Adult Worker Ant Posts: 211 06/17/2008 10:34 AM |
ok so i dont need to supply her with protien to feed her larva(if she even lays eggs) when eggs hatch?
ok i'll keep the cotton moist like you said but i'm not gonna check on her till at least tomarow. hopefully it will stay moist enough until then. |
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chazzbo77 |
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Henchant Posts: 1355 06/17/2008 5:14 PM
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That's right for the first part and yes it should for the second part. Try not to disturb her too much or she won't lay at all.
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Vulgaris |
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Adult Worker Ant Posts: 211 06/17/2008 7:22 PM |
great she is in a box under my bed and thats not a place thats often disturbed!
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Reacker |
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Henchant Posts: 1396 06/17/2008 9:26 PM
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I would actually change the cotton ball out every two or three weeks. The problem I've encountered with continually moist cottons balls outside of a test
tube setup is the tendency for them to grow mold and bacteria that will kill the brood. I would try Distilled water as well.
Just be sure to gently knock off any brood that is placed on the ball with a soft brush or something. A little disturbance is greatly preferably to dead brood. |
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Antimidation |
woot | #20 | ||
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Adult Worker Ant Posts: 205 06/18/2008 11:46 AM
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Nice grab, C. Penn is a lot easier to rear than some of the western carpenter ants, from some of the journals kept i have read they are little more hardy and
percise moisture isn't needed. But i would recommend givign her a moisture source. The test tube set up is a safe bet, queens lay eggs right away. the
order of which the tube is set up is water first, cotton swab second as a water blockade, then queen, then another cotton swab. I had a great drawing of the
set up somewhere in the archives, can't find it
. I will send you a picture of it if i can.
C. Penn definately looks different than most Camps you find out my way. She has a large head for one thing, not something you see out here, strange. The piece of wood you have is fine and may even provide slight moisture. MrIloveTheAnts: As far as the wood growing fungus or mushrooms......umm ants survive on their own in the same environment your fearing, i'm sure they come equipt to deal with mushrooms n such. Otherwise they would need human guidence 100% of the time =).
Formidable Formica!
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