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Post by tomorrownight on Nov 23, 2009 15:04:16 GMT
excuse the title.
when will my Lasius niger and Messor species start producing males and virgin females?? is there a season for this?
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Post by Kyle on Nov 23, 2009 15:58:10 GMT
I started seeing them in a Lasius niger nest I kept around early-late summer just in the nest, but Messor I don't know I would guess mid-late summer as their flights are later on in the year.
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Post by tomorrownight on Nov 23, 2009 16:52:09 GMT
ok, so they don't let them hang around then? I imagined that they would have them for a long time before the flights...
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Post by formica on Nov 23, 2009 17:42:55 GMT
I know of a guy who has had a Messor barbarus colony for a year and a half that has been producing winged males and young queens, but he has a massive heat pack and a big exo terra lamp and there is 6000 ants in his nest so his colony's brood develops a lot faster, so this is kind of cheating. As for your Lasius niger colony, they usually produce alates when the colony is seven years old so you have a long time to wait.
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Post by tomorrownight on Nov 23, 2009 17:47:26 GMT
wow, ok thats crazy! 7 years!
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Post by Wood~Ant on Nov 23, 2009 18:14:46 GMT
Ants kept in captivity may, or may not produce alates; and even then it won't be until the colony reaches a good size. I have heard of captive Messor producing alates after 3 years, but this was only seen in big well fed colonies.
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