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Post by ariko on Apr 24, 2008 8:09:37 GMT
hello, I've had my Lasius flavus for over 6 weeks and she's not got any workers yet! sometimes I wonder how queen ants can establish a sufficient colony; they can only lay so many eggs without a worker's help...she lives in a mug with cotton soaked in water. I've offered her meal worm though she's not interested. will she eat defrosted red worms from the pet store for protein? I'm building a horizontal formicarium for her soon and she's got plenty of space to introduce workers while I finish it- did I do something wrong which is putting her off?... I know she likes to be in the dark and underground so that's why I've moved her temporarily.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 24, 2008 8:39:39 GMT
Hi Ariko, I don't wish to worry you unduly, but if you have a queen who was mated last summer, she should really have produced some workers by this time. Most certainly she should've laid eggs and also have some larvae. So I hope she will eat something soon, as her health will deteriorate quickly if she doesn't and she will die never having founded her own colony
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Post by ariko on Apr 29, 2008 15:32:49 GMT
she's lost the ability to move around properly. I think she's going to die I don't know how to make her legs work. I put her back on her feet and she still falls over.
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Post by Shawn on Apr 29, 2008 16:41:01 GMT
she's lost the ability to move around properly. I think she's going to die I don't know how to make her legs work. I put her back on her feet and she still falls over. Hi Ariko, This happened to my L.niger and she died But don't give up They do die from time to time for no apparent reason. Shawn
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Post by ariko on Apr 29, 2008 17:13:38 GMT
oh...well.*sigh* ..that's the world.. for ya....I'm going to try and make it right next time. .I'll send this queen off to "the deep sleep" peacefully :')
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Post by Honeydewman on May 26, 2008 13:19:44 GMT
As someone who has tried many times to begin a Lasius Flavus colony I know how hard it can be. To date I have not been successful. I assume that as these Ants when established live underground and rarely venture to the surface there is something that I am missing. Try more than one Queen maybe even using the method I am highly succesful with when creating my L Niger colonies. As to the Niger----I have found that I do not do well if I have not provided a medium in which the Queen can create a chamber. I primarily use a clean meat paste jar about 3-4 inches tall. I fill to about 2" with fine soil, never use sand and never add small stones or such. I then water thoroughly before adding the newly fertilised Queen. Then cover the top with cling film, making sure you puncture it for airflow with a needle. Place in complete and absolute darkness. DO NOT DISTURB IN THE FIRST 4 WEEKS AND KEEP COOL. With luck the Queen will chamber against the glass. To view the Queen use red light, this appears to cause less stress than direct light. I have also always fed my Queens, never in the first 3 months after capture, using a method which allows me to insert small amounts of sugar water into the chamber, again using a red light for visual accuracy. I will not list this instrument because it takes great skill and care to use the tool I posses safely. You do not necessarily have to try and feed the Queen. I do it because I posses the right tool and I am confident and skilled at the task. Keep the medium watered/moist and you can do it safely by setting the Jar at an angle of 45 degrees and ensuring the chamber is at the highest point. If you over water it will not drown the chamber. I hope that you have success with the coming Mating Flights.
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