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Post by ladybird on May 21, 2006 13:23:30 GMT
Ok my Lasius niger new queen's eggs still haven't hatched, it has been months now! Is there something wrong with the queen?
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Post by anttastic on May 21, 2006 13:36:40 GMT
What is the temp, as if it's cold they won't hatch. Also I hate to say it, but there is a chance of her being infertile (like some women can't have children). If it was in that case, the eggs would be infertile and wouldn't hatch. If it is that there will not be a colony.  Chris  |
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 21, 2006 19:53:02 GMT
This sounds a major problem Ladybird, as fertile eggs would have turned into larvae within 3-4 weeks; so if it's been a matter of months, then they must not be fertile, which could mean your queen didn't mate  |
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Post by ladybird on May 22, 2006 10:47:56 GMT
Oh no! That's terrible |
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Post by Ghost on May 22, 2006 20:34:13 GMT
Maybe she is eating the eggs? Then laying new ones? I'm just throwing ideas out there...
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shaan
Leaf Cutter Ant 
Posts: 76
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Post by shaan on May 29, 2006 15:12:46 GMT
I agree with ghost. Its a possibility. Did you find the queen with wings or without. Did you find her around the mating season?
Shaan
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Post by ladybird on May 30, 2006 14:03:46 GMT
Yes I found her without wings, around the mating season time (about mid August, here they usually mate early to mid August) She was just running along the ground by herself.
What's the best temperature to keep her at to encourage the eggs to hatch? And is there a way I can stop her eating the eggs? The number of eggs seems to be decreasing and increasing quite a lot.
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 31, 2006 7:30:25 GMT
My own Lasius niger queens are kept in a room that drops to 7C in winter, and can rise to 83C in summer, with an average of 70-77Celcius. All lay eggs, but only the better fed colonies with plenty of adult workers don't eat any eggs. This means that they are far more prosperous than smaller ones; so if you can, try and boost her with larvae or pupae from a wild nest  |
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Post by ladybird on May 31, 2006 9:48:20 GMT
The only problem is that I don't know of any accessible nests around here...
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Post by Wood~Ant on May 31, 2006 17:08:39 GMT
If you can't find any local niger nests (as your queen may have flown a few miles from her home nest, especially if the winds blew her), then you may have to put out a plea for help and request that a member in the UK can send you some pupae Just make sure you trust whoever you ask, as being a female, you don't want to give out your personal details such as name & address to just anybody |
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Post by ladybird on Jun 1, 2006 22:07:52 GMT
There are plenty of L.Niger nests around, it's just that the pupae are inaccessible (e.g. inside a stone wall, under the pavement etc...)
And no, I found my queen ant in the wild, I didn't buy it.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jun 2, 2006 7:48:06 GMT
The only thing to do is try and find any loose paving slabs, or stones in a garden. These may have some L. niger nests under them which should have pupae. It's a long shot; but worth a try, as it may be your only chance of finding some |
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Post by ladybird on Jun 2, 2006 9:46:14 GMT
Ok I'll try looking under the slabs in my garden, but I'll have to do it when my dad is away or he'll get very mad... He doesn't like me doing that kind of thing ;D
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Post by ladybird on Jun 20, 2006 13:44:21 GMT
Can someone please please please send me some L.niger pupae? I don't think queeny will manage on her own! I really need some as soon as possible!
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Post by vocasla on Jul 23, 2006 14:54:41 GMT
Hi, just a question, how long does a Lasius Niger queen ant usually take to lay her first batch of eggs?
Just curious. Thanks.
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