20 replies to this topic

[Canadant]

I believe I just caught a lasius subumbratus queen.

Back story: I saw these queens last year in roughly the same spot. Lots of them concentrated in a 2 meter square plot of grass. Lots of lasius nests in the general area. I've never seen them outside this small area.

Returned to a area this year and caught a queen. Is subumbratus slave raiding like umbratus? Her gator is small. She must be slave raiding. Just put her in a test tube with some lasius Niger eggs?

Sincerely

Canadant

[Canadian anter]

Not a slave raider. She needs some workers and pupae to start off though

Umbratus isn't a slave raider btw

Edited by Canadian anter, July 31 2019 - 5:09 AM.

[Canadant]

Lasius Niger workers and brood?

[Canadian anter]

Any Lasius sp

[Canadant]

But parasitic. I guess that's what I meant. Workers and brood caught. When they calm down I'll join the queen and ants through a ac mini outworld.

Will update.

Canadant

[Manitobant]

But parasitic. I guess that's what I meant. Workers and brood caught. When they calm down I'll join the queen and ants through a ac mini outworld.
Will update.
Canadant

if I were you I would wait until some of the brood hatch into callow workers, which are much less likely to harm the queen. You should also read the founding guide for parasitic lasius here:http://www.formicult...rasitic +lasius

[Canadant]

Ugh, manitobant.... I wish I saw that earlier. Yeah, it didn't go well. I'll try again tomorrow with s new queen. I'll remove some of the workers too. I'll check that link as well. Thanks. Between my monarch butterflies and ants I'm having a great summer!

[Canadant]

didn't go well again with faaaaar less ants. This queen really got her butt kicked by only a few ants (really only one). Whatever happened it was quick. She curled up and died. Shame.

I'm thinking this needs a little more space next time.

Perhaps again tomorrow.

[Canadian anter]

didn't go well again with faaaaar less ants. This queen really got her butt kicked by only a few ants (really only one). Whatever happened it was quick. She curled up and died. Shame.

I'm thinking this needs a little more space next time.

Perhaps again tomorrow.

Did you put the workers in the fridge first? And perhaps you should feed your queen. I get the opposite with my Lasius parasites. as a matter of fact, my most recent interjectus killed 30 or so workers before finally accepting a few.

[Manitobant]

didn't go well again with faaaaar less ants. This queen really got her butt kicked by only a few ants (really only one). Whatever happened it was quick. She curled up and died. Shame.
I'm thinking this needs a little more space next time.
Perhaps again tomorrow.

if I were you I would use the callow method highlighted in the founding guide. It works the best for me.

[Canadant]

Update: day 3

So I scored a new subumbratus queen today. I placed the tubes in an outworld, thus giving my queen more time and space to work her jedi mind tricks. This time I thought I had a few (3-4) workers left in the tube with the eggs (I had this tube sheathed). There were also a few Male alates in there. She eventually went in and stayed. She may have killed a worker inside, but all workers are now dead. Now she's grooming a few Male alates. Lol. I hope an egg ecloses. don't know how she'll fare without workers. I was thinking about grabbing a few more workers and brood and placing them the outworld. Actually I have the queen attached to a mini ac outworld now. Maybe try a tube with a few more from the colony?

Canadant

Edited by Canadant, August 2 2019 - 1:20 PM.

[Kaelwizard]

Update: day 3

So I scored a new subumbratus queen today. I placed the tubes in an outworld, thus giving my queen more time and space to work her jedi mind tricks. This time I thought I had a few (3-4) workers left in the tube with the eggs (I had this tube sheathed). There were also a few Male alates in there. She eventually went in and stayed. She may have killed a worker inside, but all workers are now dead. Now she's grooming a few Male alates. Lol. I hope an egg ecloses. don't know how she'll fare without workers. I was thinking about grabbing a few more workers and brood and placing them the outworld. Actually I have the queen attached to a mini ac outworld now. Maybe try a tube with a few more from the colony?

Canadant

Please read what the others said and either use callows or put workers in the fridge to make them less aggressive.

Edited by Kaelwizard, August 2 2019 - 4:32 PM.

[spartANTS]

i also have a Lasius subumbratus .The target (lasius probably alienus ) is in a Mini Hearth ( side outworld)

twice i tried the pre kill worker and she did the grooming skill.But once inside the nest they were chasing her.

 

in my case putting the MH in the fridge may work ?i can't reach the broods 

i also readed the guide about lasius parasitis 

 

-------

friday i will try: is still put the MH in the fridge but i will myself steal the broods while the colonie is sleepy. and using the 2 test tube technic.

Edited by spartANTS, August 9 2019 - 4:25 AM.

[Canadant]

Awesome. I gave up for this year... (maybe lol.) I'm will try again next year. This method of colony creation for subumbratus has to be risky.

I have a lot of species on the go right now. Plus upcoming formica fusca, crematogastor Cersei and aphenogastor picea. Yikes too much fun.

[spartANTS]

a very late Friday night early saturday morning story

 

It's about my Lasius subumbratus .

 

After 3 nest infiltration  i opened the mini hearth and stole some broods callow and what came with the tip of a wet Q-tips.

 

i droped this whole new disorganized family into the Lasius subumbratus test tube.And leave it for the night/morning.

 

so far i think it worked.and the other Lasius  queen is alive also so i'm happy with that

 

 

 

 

a new colonies will emerge eventually

[Canadant]

Woah! That's stellar! Beautiful queen. Keep us posted.

[LearningAntz]

Strange, the Lasius subumbratus queens I capture seem to infiltrate with ease. I just put them in the tube with hosts when I’m able to and they pacify the workers in seconds. I’ve never needed to use the fridge for this species and have even introduced multiple queens to the same colony of hosts at the same time. Information on polygyny is hard to come by, though, but there has never been any queen aggression with all my multi-queen colonies. (hosts)

This species’ queens also seem to have wide colour variation which is interesting. Some are extremely bright yellow whereas others are more dull.

Edited by LearningAntz, August 11 2019 - 8:25 AM.

[Canadant]

Strange, the Lasius subumbratus queens I capture seem to infiltrate with ease. I just put them in the tube with hosts when I’m able to and they pacify the workers in seconds. I’ve never needed to use the fridge for this species and have even introduced multiple queens to the same colony of hosts at the same time. Information on polygyny is hard to come by, though, but there has never been any queen aggression with all my multi-queen colonies. (hosts)

This species’ queens also seem to have wide colour variation which is interesting. Some are extremely bright yellow whereas others are more dull.

Interesting. Thanks. Odd that my queens never stood a chance. You just drop her in with full fledge workers?

[BDantsalberta]

Lasius Subumbratus is the easiest parasitic lasius species of them all in the founding stage. Lasius neoniger is the best possible host. Just hook up an outworld(bigger is better) and have substrate(sand is best) to a test tube with any number of workers and brood(having pupae and callows present is best) and have some objects such as dead leaves small twigs and a couple rocks so that the queen can sorta hide out and enter the nest when she pleases.

[Manitobant]

This is the exact opposite of my experience. Subumbratus are similar to latipes and murphyi in that they die very quickly without hosts and even with hosts will drop dead for no reason. I've had the best results by swarming them with tons of neoniger workers in the same way you would with a latipes queen. They’re like tanks and can easily survive.