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Post by chicken2012 on Jul 19, 2014 19:53:37 GMT
Last week I caught a single Lasius flavus queen, and today in their main nuptial flight, I caught another 5. I am planing to compare growth rates in both colonies to see just how good it is for colony starting out if it has multiple queens. I know the single queen has gotten a head start, but she hasn't laid anything yet from what I can tell.
The five however seem intent on trying to burrow into the cotton bung that keeps them from escaping their test tube. I just hope they don't get out!
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Post by Wood~Ant on Jul 19, 2014 23:54:44 GMT
If it helps, I kept 3 flavus queens together back in 1978 and when I released them into my dad's garden about 7 months after, they had a colony of about 70 workers; and all 3 queens were still alive and cooperating peacefully, with not any aggression from theworkers.
This same colony survived for 17 years, all from a coalition of 3 newly mated queens I collected back in Herefordshire found on a large boulder. Good luck, I will enjoy following this topic.
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Post by chicken2012 on Jul 20, 2014 7:34:18 GMT
Oh right, thanks Wood!
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Post by chicken2012 on Jul 26, 2014 16:55:19 GMT
Update #2
Well the single queen has laid a clump of eggs, numbering around 30-40 I should think.
Meanwhile the 5 queens are doing really well and have laid a clump that roughly equates to the size of one queens gaster now.
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Post by chicken2012 on Sept 3, 2014 12:31:14 GMT
Update #3
Not much has happened with these colonies yet. neither has any workers as of yet, however the 5 queens have 2-3 times the amount of pupae alone, compared to the single queen. As I have explained on my Lasius Niger journal, Once the colonies get their first workers, I'll have to make a couple of foraging areas for them for ease of feeding.
Anyway, that's all for now, but I'll be back once the colony's have any workers of if there is anything else that happens.
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