6 replies to this topic

[Ants4fun]

This is my queen ant ⬇️



This is a blurry picture of her eggs ⬇️

I found her last fall in in Southeastern South Dakota. I'm calling her Lasius Flavus if you guys are cool with it. If not, let me now what she is.
She immediately laid eggs last spring, but after I hibernated her they were gone. So once I woke her up about a week or two ago, she laid more eggs.👍 She currently has about two dozen. I just moved her into her very own Tarheel ants Talus. So far I'm liking it, though I'm thinking I should have ordered a small instead of a medium... Anyways I hope she has some larvae soon, how long does it usually take? Should I buy her a heating cable? She is very sensitive to light, so it's hard to get good photos... Anyways I hope I have more to update soon!

Edited by Ants4fun, July 12 2015 - 12:24 PM.

[dspdrew]

That does look a little large for that queen, but I think it might be alright.

[Miles]

That does look a little large for that queen, but I think it might be alright.

I think that it should be fine. If he ordered this Talus for this species specifically, he probably should have chosen the small option instead. Regardless, she will almost certainly be comfortable enough as long as he doesn't disturb her too much.

Edited by Miles, February 26 2015 - 12:29 PM.

[Ants4fun]

Still no larvae.. I did move her back into a test tube, as she didn't feel secure in the talus. I lost a couple eggs in the move, however she laid them right back. I wonder how long it takes for larvae to develop... Anyways, what do you guys think on brood boosting? I was thinking that maybe when the weather warms up, to brood boost her with some pupa of a wild colony...

Edited by Ants4fun, March 11 2015 - 6:49 PM.

[Ants4fun]

3/6/2015 Still no development. How long does it take for egg to larvae? I'm starting to think she's infertile.

[dean_k]

According to my own Lasius journal which is posted here, it took roughly 2 weeks for eggs to turn into larvae.

 

So, depending on temperature, it could take less or more. My temp was 24c.

Edited by dean_k, March 6 2015 - 5:14 PM.

[Ants4fun]

This queen finally died after her eggs not developing for a long time. Looking forward to some colonies soon as I moved and had to leave my others behind, including an unidentified fungus growing ants, Odontomachus queens, Solenopsis cf. Geminata, Pheidole, and many more in Costa Rica! Looking forward to keeping some Camponotus, Formica, Pogonomyrmex, and many more! (Sorry for the ramble)