Queen Problems. Help the newbee!

[tyleryvr]

Ok, so I bought a queen ant from ebay (Lasius niger). She came with wings. is this normal? The guy said that she had eggs but she must have eaten them in shipping. Is this normal for her to eat her eggs when stressed? My last Q I want to ask is how long will it take for her to lay her first eggs?
Thank you
T Smith.

[kalistes]

Hi there.
It is not normal for a queen ant to be sold with wings (queens lose their wings very soon after mating) She will NOT have laid eggs whilst she had wings, and is very lightly to be un-mated. Other members on the forum will probably back me up on this.

I would be inclined to contact the seller with this information if I were you.

[tyleryvr]

I did, and he said that she has laid eggs, and just to put her in a dark place and she will lay again.

[Wood~Ant]

If a queen ant retains her wings, then the chances of her her being correctly fully mated are extremely slim. She could still lay eggs; but these would be infertile and will not produce workers.

In my honest opinion, you have an unmated queen which will never found a colony. In fact, all the Lasius queens from my own area have workers now, or at least have pupae and larvae.
A queen with no eggs at all must be a dud, and is definitely NOT MATED if her wings are still attached.

[Formicalondon]

There has been a rare occasions when a queen doesn’t pluck off her wings but it’s rare, also she will be getting ready to hibernate. I am betting she is unmated though.

[tyleryvr]

That sucks because I knew that but I just wanted to make sure. I bought it off ebay. I live in Canada and all the places I visit online only send to the E.U. What are my options to buy a queen in alberta canada? And should I lose it on this guy that sent me this.
Thank you.
Tyler Smith

[Jenny]

I would have a go at him, although he has still taken your money and won in the end.
Ebay brings nothing but problems as we found out, I would avoid it like the plague and not go there! You don't know who you are dealing with, and it is a breeding ground for con people to operate.

[tyleryvr]

Yah it sucks I was so excited to start my ant farm.
I had fire ants when I was a kid and they were the coolest thing.
Any ways thank you all for your help. I am still going to keep trying to get a queen. if any one has any ideas I live in canada so email me [e-mail]

Tyler Smith

[Wood~Ant]

We are not saying that all Ebay sellers are con merchants, as many buyers and sellers are perfectly legitimate and trade fairly; but if I were to send any queen ant, of any species to someone, I would certainly make sure she'd removed her wings first, as this is a sure way to tell if she has mated and been inseminated. Only then will she be able to lay fertile eggs which will produce worker ants.
I have bought some items on Ebay and they were fine, though I prefer to use a reputable dealer or store.

When you see a mating flight of ants, you will often find that winged ants are still waiting to fly and mate, whereas females which have already removed their wings can be found seeking out suitable nesting places. These are the only queens which anyone should collect, NEVER collect queens with wings as they are almost certainly unmated, and therefore will never lay fertile eggs and produce workers.

[zchuanru]

And he is a stupid con man

If he wanted to fool someone he should just pluck the wings off the ant first ... shows how ignorant they are .. trying to cheat people in a field they do not have knowledge about

The best is to have the person show a pic of the queen with some workers ... wingless

[tyleryvr]

the thing is he had show'n me a picture with a queen with no wings and said that it came with 20 eggs that will hatch into workers.

[Jenny]

Sorry, but I think even though he had shown you a photograph of a mated queen, it doesn't mean to say that she is the same one that he is going to send out to you.

These people are crafty, and that is why I say to ant sellers on here and to members, you need to develop that trust in your transactions and it is only by word of mouth that will give sellers good recommendation.

I have had numerous sellers on here, leave a list of ants and never to be seen again, not even leave their e-mail open or talk with the members here so they get to know who they are dealing with. They then expect me and all you members to trust them I don't think so! I get PM's off them wondering why you all are not interested, it is no wonder.....

Why I am so negative about things and don't trust anything anymore, is because I have been let down by people and goods once to often in life and I find now, life can be one long battle to get things right.

[tyleryvr]

You are wise O Queen Ant. Lol.
Now I know you cannot mail queens to the usa but I have tryed to find any thing about canada. from what I gather it is ok. that being said do you know of any one that say has a queen for sale. or can you think of any way I can find one here in calgay for sale. really any info can help me. if you can think of any thing please get back.

[tyleryvr]

and by the way I just want to say those are beautiful cats you have. I love long hairs and the sad this is here in canada there are so many in the shelters because no one wants a cat with long hair. I have two long haired cats my self. both rescues.

[Jenny]

Off topic....

Thanks Ty, the cream Persian is a rescue now 14 yrs old and the Seal point Persian, is 3yrs old cost £200 both are full pedigree. Long hairs are hard work and need a lot of grooming that is why people cannot keep them. The seal point one is into chewing wires still, and only this morning he has chewed through my airline to the fish tank yet again He is actually a handful and always gets into trouble