4 replies to this topic

[William. T]

Other than heating, is there any ways to speed up brood development of a Lasius colony in the founding stage? Thanks.

[Crystals]

Patience? 

Heat is about the only option I know of, other than ensuring the humidity doesn't drop too low.  Sufficient food helps (although I know you have founding queens, so this may not apply depending on how fussy the queens are).

With Lasius, keep an eye on the heat.  I have found some species do not like too much heat.

If you have the same species in the area, you could brood boost with a couple of pupae if you are worried about the queen's survival.

[Miles]

Generally, a combination of near-constantly offered protein and carbohydrate sources (varied), a gradient of warmth and humidity (modified for the species), and few sources of potential stress all lead to maximum brood production. 

 

I find that protein and moisture are the most important factors leading to both fast development and high quantity of brood produced in my Lasius. They don't seem as interested in heat as my other ants.

Edited by Miles, March 5 2015 - 3:01 PM.

[William. T]

Hmmmm....My house is quite cold, being 65 Degrees. Besides, the ants are under a 4 watt heat mat which is under a terrarium propped up by legos...

[Foogoo]

Hmmmm....My house is quite cold, being 65 Degrees. Besides, the ants are under a 4 watt heat mat which is under a terrarium propped up by legos...

What I'm doing is buy a heat bulb at the pet store or Amazon. I believe mine is 25 watts and costed about $8. Get a spare desk lamp and shine that over your nests. Those get surprisingly warm so make sure to have a thermometer. If my house is 65, I can get my nests anywhere between 70-100+ depending on how far I place the lamp. My Crematogaster love heat and will glue their brood to the wall as close to the heat as possible.