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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 1, 2012 17:18:39 GMT
As of this introduction, please note that I am preparing this journal in advance of the colony's arrival- they'll probably be here tomorrow. (Introduction)I ordered a tiny Formica fusca colony of 1-3 workers and a queen from World-Of-Ants on Wednesday. The £25 including postage seems like a ripoff, but I don't know of many ant-selling sites and this seemed the most promising (I have bought from them before). Ideally I would like to be there if/when they arrive tomorrow, but I will have to be at the doctors around the time the postman comes- AKA about 20 minutes of trying not to cough in the waiting room to avoid inevitable stares. ;D To my understanding, Formica fusca is pretty much kept like a larger Lasius niger. From my own observations of wild colonies, they are faster, shy and have a formidable bite, which they use in conjunction with a squirt of formic acid. I also believe that this species is mildly polygynous, but I am keeping just the one queen. I have never kept Formica before, so I look forward to seeing how this colony does for me. Please do feel free to comment on this journal if you like.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 4, 2012 11:36:12 GMT
It has been a week since I ordered them, but I shouldn't have much longer to wait. According to a parcel tracking site, they arrived in England around yesterday.
I imagine that it will be a ParcelForce van, so there's a possibility that they will turn up today or tomorrow.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 4, 2012 14:19:09 GMT
(Log 1)
She has arrived, but I'm quite disappointed at what was in the (Dry) container.
There is just the queen, no brood or workers- and she's quite thin as well. There's no bodies indicating dead workers, so I guess that this queen just hasn't started.
I have moved her into a test tube with a fresh water supply, and a bit of honey. She's quite calm. Still, it seems a bit bad to get a lone queen for £25.
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Post by batspiderfish on Apr 4, 2012 15:48:58 GMT
That's a rip off! Formica queens are pretty tough, so at least there's a good chance this one will yield you a colony in time.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 4, 2012 18:15:26 GMT
When you consider that Formica fusca is a fairly common British native ant species, I am sure that another UK member could collect a small colony with a queen, or even newly mated queens for a quarter of the price. I am shocked to hear they charged you £25 for just a single queen, and by the sound of your journal entry, not a particularly healthy lady either.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 4, 2012 18:32:29 GMT
In any case, I will still hope that she will eventually start her own colony. She's been sitting on the cotton since she arrived, she doesn't seem interested in honey right now as she flinches when she touches it with her antennae. I quite like how her legs are a sort of red-brown in comparison to her shiny blackness.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 5, 2012 7:05:17 GMT
(Log 2)Here she is: Still calm like yesterday. No eggs yet.
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Post by Black Ant on Apr 5, 2012 8:38:56 GMT
My worry would be not that has no workers (even though you did pay for them and didn't get any ) but that she has no eggs yet, as I'm sure if she was mated last year she should be laying a few by now.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 5, 2012 9:03:11 GMT
Just had this reply from him. I just managed to find the tissue in the box and there's definitely no brood, so I imagine that she has eaten them during transit.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 13, 2012 10:20:42 GMT
It does not appear to be a good time for my colonies. This queen has died without laying eggs or eating. I have asked the owner of World-Of-Ants for a replacement or a refund, with a photograph of the body as proof. Unless I get the former, this journal can be considered to be ended.
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Post by Zarbi on Apr 13, 2012 14:14:36 GMT
That's sad as if she was mated last year she should have had both workers and brood, so if you get a refund it might be better to buy ants from another place.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 13, 2012 21:51:06 GMT
Excellent news, Steve has said he'll send me a replacement queen. I hope that the new lady is in better condition than this one. So this journal can now go back to its appropriate section.
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 18, 2012 12:36:36 GMT
(Introduction 2)(Log 1)The new queen has arrived! I at first thought she would be a single queen with perhaps a few workers- but there's 16! ;D They seem active enough, and have been carrying around three cocooned pupae and a small larva. They enthusiastically attacked a fruit fly that I dropped in, and the queen seems to be healthy (Although she was snoozing throughout the opening ). Honey seems to be rejected at the moment. I'm very pleased with this colony. Whilst I was putting in a mealworm earlier, one of the workers charged up my finger like a ferret up a pair of trousers. Before I knew what she was doing, I felt the sting of their signature combination of jaws and acid. I'm going to have to be careful in future. ;D This colony seems quite happy to half-drag Her Majesty along, rather than to gently guide her like most species do.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Apr 18, 2012 15:03:28 GMT
You will find Formica very fast and agile, and as for the workers dragging their queen, as you know I keep their very close cousins F. lemani; and in the Ant World which is their home I added a light soil compost, which they have made a lovely nest in with lots of large chambers. I would invest in an Ant World as you can buy them cheap on some sites, and then you'll find they don't drag their queen around but let her wander about the nest, as in the open they may feel the queen is under threat. Ant World for £7 hereNice colony, bet you're glad this replacement is a better deal than the first one?
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Post by TenebrousNova on Apr 18, 2012 15:23:40 GMT
I certainly am! I'm not sure what the workers will drink though, since they don't seem to be interested in honey or golden syrup. And I will consider an ant world set up in due course. I used to have one, but I'm not sure if it's been thrown out. I'll have a look.
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