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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 27, 2017 16:48:07 GMT
I was unable to resist the allure of adding another species to my collection and opted for the social parasite, Lasius umbratus. I have attempted to keep an umbratus queen before but sadly, although the Lasius niger workers I introduced to her eventually accepted her as their own, she never actually laid eggs and eventually died. I wanted to be sure that she'd laid eggs before starting a journal which is why I hadn't made mention of it.
Luckily, this queen purchased from Antsrus comes with 10-20 Lasius niger workers who've already accepted her and brood of her own, so I won't have to worry about introducing her to host workers this time.
I'm hoping they arrive this week! I think that'll be the last species I'll buy this year, since I "have too many ants" according to my family.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Aug 27, 2017 17:16:14 GMT
A species I often fancied keeping, but just never got around to having (so far) Good luck with this new colony.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 27, 2017 19:17:05 GMT
A species I often fancied keeping, but just never got around to having (so far) Good luck with this new colony. There's one colony left for sale if you ever feel tempted.
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Post by jeoff82 on Aug 27, 2017 20:56:51 GMT
I found 4 queens last week and only one is still alive. They can be tricky to get going so good luck.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 30, 2017 10:05:33 GMT
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Post by jeoff82 on Aug 30, 2017 11:25:16 GMT
Great news she has some of her own workers, should be fine from now on. I like watching these queens when they are trying to enter a niger nest in the wild, its interesting to see. Aswell as large jaws they also have really long legs. When the niger workers attack the umbratus queen is very skilled at brushing off the attacker's. Good luck keeping this species, I have one queen left from this year still alive.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Aug 30, 2017 11:34:53 GMT
Great news she has some of her own workers, should be fine from now on. I like watching these queens when they are trying to enter a niger nest in the wild, its interesting to see. Aswell as large jaws they also have really long legs. When the niger workers attack the umbratus queen is very skilled at brushing off the attacker's. Good luck keeping this species, I have one queen left from this year still alive. I once saw an interesting video where a Lasius umbratus queen had infiltrated a L.niger nest and carefully climbed onto the host queen, getting ready to decapitate her but alerted her at the last second. Can't for the life of me find it! I remember that a few niger workers I introduced to the umbratus queen you sold me last year would cling on to her legs and antennae, trying fruitlessly to drag her away. I might try and feed this colony with a fruit fly or two, as those larvae probably hunger for protein.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 1, 2017 10:58:04 GMT
The colony has not yet accepted fruit flies, but they adore honey as much as any other ant. The umbratus workers do not leave the queen's side and spend most of their time fussing over the larvae. Here's one of them riding on the queen's back and cleaning her.
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Post by jeoff82 on Sept 1, 2017 14:50:12 GMT
I believe the job of the younger less experienced workers is to nurse the larvae.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Sept 1, 2017 17:23:50 GMT
I believe the job of the younger less experienced workers is to nurse the larvae. Yes, nurse ants are kept in the nest until they are about 3 months old, then they take on a new role either as foragers, guards or taking rubbish out to the midden area. The reason is that their chitin armour gets harder as they grow older, and they learn new tasks from their older sisters, a bit like a school for ants.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 4, 2017 13:34:45 GMT
I'm afraid I just found the queen unblemished but dead, so this journal must end as quickly as it began. I'm disappointed, but I have read that Lasius umbratus queens are prone to dying for unexplained reasons in captivity...
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Post by Wood~Ant on Sept 4, 2017 13:58:39 GMT
Words can never express the loss of a queen, especially when it is a monogyn species.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 4, 2017 14:44:19 GMT
Words can never express the loss of a queen, especially when it is a monogyn species. Indeed. I'm considering giving the remaining Lasius umbratus larvae to my L.niger colony in hopes that they will look after them. Do you think this would be a good idea?
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Post by jeoff82 on Sept 4, 2017 16:29:22 GMT
I'm afraid I just found the queen unblemished but dead, so this journal must end as quickly as it began. I'm disappointed, but I have read that Lasius umbratus queens are prone to dying for unexplained reasons in captivity... I believe antsrus will replace the colony if the queen dies before 14 days. Check the website. Sad news though, they are hard to keep in captivity and seem to die for unknown reasons.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 5, 2017 9:41:07 GMT
Thanks for that heads up Jeoff, I just heard back from him and he'll send me a replacement colony!
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