|
Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 11, 2011 15:42:10 GMT
My L.Niger appear to have another bare pupa. I wonder what could be causing them. The mosquito from a few days ago has visibly helped the larvae; they are getting a lot bigger now. Queenie is laying about two or three eggs a day, so the egg pile is always a nice size. She is more inclined to lay eggs after she has fed, so I give them a treat of honey every couple of days. They have a small midden near the test tube's lid, so I can remove their waste with a cotton bud every few days. At twelve workers the colony has reached the point where it is hard to count them all, as they are always on the move. ;D They are getting confident, and so is their queen. The queen is very social and likes to know what's happening, she seems to follow workers a short distance in hopes of getting food or just 'chatting' with them. Once the worker population has reached about 20 or 30, I may consider moving them into a proper soil set up. They only take up a small part of their test tube, but judging by the brood mass it won't stay that way for long.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 12, 2011 13:57:50 GMT
I found and gave them another mosquito today, they have now dissected it and begun feeding the larvae. I swear that the larvae are visibly growing with every feeding. They take food one day after each meal, and they eat it all. On a related note, the wild L.Niger nests near my house are sending out hoards of workers. They are everywhere you go, and we have even caught a few roaming my house. These I took outside, as this is a naughty species who will never leave a house once they have found the kitchen (Which, luckily, they have not). Worker Thirteen looks like she may hatch around the weekend, or more likely the middle of next week.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 14, 2011 10:49:50 GMT
I'm going to be surprised if Worker Thirteen does not hatch by the end of today, as her cocoon is very dark and almost ready to hatch out. I have also worked out why there is a small pile of bits of cotton nearby- the largest larvae are placed underneath it before they pupate. This is probably to ensure that the larvae are not disturbed during the process. There are currently about three or four big larvae lying underneath it, and I expect they will have pupated within a few days. I have two bare pupae as well.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 14, 2011 21:13:31 GMT
Looks like my theory was correct, there are now 11 pupae altogether. ;D Worker Thirteen has not hatched, but she is certain to hatch by tomorrow morning or sometime tomorrow at most.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 16, 2011 12:06:09 GMT
My estimate was wrong, but Worker Thirteen hatched earlier. It's really getting hard to do a count of them now, but that is a good sign, meaning that the colony is growing. Statistics: - One healthy Queen
- Thirteen Workers, one of which is newly hatched
- About 60 Larvae
- Roughly 60-70 Eggs
That list will show you how vastly more productive the colony has become since early January. I have just given them a fly, and they are eagerly setting to work on it now.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 19, 2011 16:49:37 GMT
My sister earlier came to me with a L.Niger worker, which she found in her room. After she asked if the worker was one of mine, I did a quick head count and found all of the workers where they should be- plus Worker Fourteen, who was sitting beside the remains of her cocoon. I told my sister that the worker she found was a wild one, and we released her into the garden. Worker Fourteen's cocoon didn't look that dark to me, so you can imagine my surprise to see her hatched.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 20, 2011 7:41:21 GMT
One of the elderly workers died last night- but a new worker has hatched to replace her. There are still fourteen workers.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 23, 2011 9:10:46 GMT
I have fed the L.Niger up now that I'm home, everything is the same- except for two recent pupae that seem a bit malformed- they look like J-shaped larvae covered in silk.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 29, 2011 8:26:52 GMT
The colony is still doing fine, with thirteen workers and a very big brood pile. The queen still seems to be happy enough, I can tell because she lays about 2 or 3 eggs a day to add to the pile of about thirty. ;D There's at least 60 larvae of all sizes, most of them are at the medium stage. There's about 11 pupae, including two bare pupae who failed to create their cocoon properly and are instead developing without it. One such larva was surrounded by its cocoon, but had failed to cover its head. By the end of the day, the workers had pulled the larva out of the cocoon and it has been developing since. Whilst a few workers died of old age, I believe that the brood mass is more than enough to have any dead workers replaced.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on May 2, 2011 11:10:44 GMT
Feeding them is not possible right now, as they have moved the entire brood mass into the test tube lid. I'll probably have to wait for them to move again.
I may let the L.Flavus colony go today. They have refused another attempt at feeding them, so I'll try and find a nice patch of soil in the garden for them.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on May 7, 2011 14:17:24 GMT
After plenty of thought, and after the birth of another callow, I have decided that this Lasius Niger colony is now finally mature enough to be given free reign outside of their test tube at last- their test tube is now sitting on the surface of a basic dirt set up. I have now lost count of the workers, as they are constantly moving. There is around 14 of them now. After opening their test tube carefully and placing it on the soil, it was not long before they cautiously investigated. I found it quite amusing that after so long of trying to escape during feeding time, they are now regarding their sudden freedom with suspicion. ;D Their first act was to carefully explore and familiarize themselves with their new environment. Only a few workers went at a time, but they soon started establishing basic scent trails with which to guide them home. This morning, about 11 hours after the move, I found that they have blocked their test tube entrance with soil with a few tiny holes which they use to enter and exit. They are more confident now, and I have to supervise them at all times whenever I have the lid off as they are still naughty and try to casually sidle out of their container when I'm not looking. The queen has taken the move well and she is still happy as ever. I don't think she wants to move for quite a long time, but that doesn't matter. I found them nibbling at a dead cricket I placed in their container, so they have not lost their appetites. I used the test tube lid to hold a bit of damp cotton with some golden syrup/honey mixture, and they seem to visit that as well.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on May 11, 2011 14:36:27 GMT
I'm surprised at how quickly they have adapted to their new set up, they are very confident and know where I place their food. They have lined one side of their test tube with soil, where the queen likes to be. The pupa count has grown a lot in the last few days. When I moved them, there were only eight pupae. There are now thirteen, with two of them being very recent. I'm having trouble finding flies recently, but I'll make sure to deliver them straight to the ladies if I find any. The only problem I have is that I cannot count the workers anymore, as I liked to do every few days.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on May 13, 2011 6:24:19 GMT
Pupa count has risen to fourteen, to my surprise. It seems as though moving them into a bigger set up is causing the larvae to mature quicker. Also, I was very happy to see a new worker this morning. The worker count is now about fifteen or sixteen, and once all present pupae hatch there will be about thirty.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on May 14, 2011 14:39:02 GMT
There are now 15 pupae, and the queen has clearly been laying even more eggs. This morning I gave them a dead cricket and a tiny fly, the kind you find at your windows. The fly is now wingless and in the middle of the larval pile, with a group of larvae feeding on it. The L.Niger also managed to take off one of the cricket's hind legs, and have given that to the larvae as well. Queen and workers are well-fed, and I also noticed that some of the cocoons are a little bigger than the others- I should start to get normal sized workers soon, as the current ones are mostly at the nanitic size. I still can't believe that this is the same queen who struggled her way through the winter months. I don't think she would have survived in the first place if I hadn't moved her and the workers to a test tube.
|
|
|
Post by TenebrousNova on May 14, 2011 15:08:56 GMT
I have decided- the Lasius Flavus are going to be let out of their test tube to have one last chance at captivity. I have already placed their test tube in the new set up for them. There are still about thirty workers with a number of larvae, so they should survive if they accept their food. I had forgotten what a nice colour they are, and it would be a shame to lose them in the wild. Everyone deserves a chance, and that is what these golden ladies shall have.
|
|