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NickAnter's Polygynous Lasius americanus Journal(Over 250 workers!)

Started By NickAnter , Aug 12 2019 5:40 AM
lasius eastern sierras

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#161 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 10 2020 - 3:13 PM

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Hmm. I find their larval stage is actually very fast.

 

Also, I estimate the polygynous colony to have at least 50 brood. And 30 workers. At this rate, and if they keep laying in batches like this, they will have over 200 workers by the end of the year, which would be very impressive for Lasius. I wonder if yours could be too hot AntDrew. Mine are at about 77. In about a 68-77 degree room.

 

Queen 1) 10 workers, 7 cocoons, and about 20 eggs and small larvae.

 

Queen 2) About 14 workers, with about 20 brood. These are harder to see because the queen stands over the brood and workers, on the moldy cotton.

 

Complete Invalid

 

Trio) About 60 brood, and 30 workers. A few larger cocoons that will be larger workers, but still far smaller than those in mature colonies.

 

Queen 4) 10 workers, and about 10 brood. Its very hard to judge what brood they have, as they hide it in the cotton. They certainly have less than all the other colonies though.

 

 

Diet- I have been feeding them THA's ant juice, which they love all parts of. I mix it up, with the standard mixture, just the sugar, my sugar water mixture, mealworms, and today I will do just the protein mix.


  • ANTdrew, RushmoreAnts and mantisgal like this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#162 Online RushmoreAnts - Posted May 10 2020 - 3:15 PM

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Impressive growth.


"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#163 Offline ANTdrew - Posted May 10 2020 - 3:38 PM

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Good point, my queen’s kept in the upper 80s. I raised three Crematogaster and my Formica queen in the exact same conditions, though.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#164 Online RushmoreAnts - Posted May 10 2020 - 4:15 PM

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Good point, my queen’s kept in the upper 80s. I raised three Crematogaster and my Formica queen in the exact same conditions, though.

It seems Lasius don’t like higher temperatures like other genera do.
  • Ants_Dakota likes this

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#165 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 10 2020 - 4:46 PM

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Yeah, all colonies except Queen 1's keep all their brood at the coolest end of the tube.


  • RushmoreAnts likes this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#166 Offline ANTdrew - Posted May 11 2020 - 6:55 AM

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Aight, I took my Nerdbox neoniger off the heat cable today. Sounds counterintuitive, but I'm willing to try anything at this point.


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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#167 Offline NickAnter - Posted May 15 2020 - 11:00 AM

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  I have been giving them a steady diet of THA's sugar part of the ant juice supplement, and they really enjoy it. I gave the largest colony a fruit fly, and today, not a single limb was left. I'm pretty sure that they put it on their larvae pile, and that is why there was not a single piece left. I noticed them do this when I accidentally introduced a dead Nylanderia worker on my tweezers when feeding a mealworm. Rather odd behavior for Formicines, but I guess whatever works for them.....

 

Queen 1: 13 workers, a fair bit of brood, mostly tiny larvae.

 

Queen 2: 17 workers(miscounted in last update), and same amount of brood.

 

Complete Invalid

 

Trio: About 40 workers(miscounted in last update, though they did get one more worker)

 

Queen 4: 10 brood, 10 workers. Most certainly my least productive Lasius queen.


  • mantisgal likes this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#168 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 5 2020 - 5:09 PM

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The trio got their first larger worker!!!!

 

KMPgmGE.jpg

Sorry for the poor pictures, it is much harder with them being in an outworld.


  • RushmoreAnts, Ants_Dakota, TestSubjectOne and 1 other like this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#169 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted June 5 2020 - 5:59 PM

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I find that picture just fine. Lasius is one species I need to catch AND raise.
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Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. -Proverbs 6: 6-8

My Nationwide Ant Shop Here I have PPQ-526 permits to ship ants nationwide

Attention Ant-Keepers in South Dakota! Join the SoDak(Society Of Dakotan Ant Keepers)

My Formica sp. Journal

My Lasius sp. Journal

My Micro Ants Journal

My Pogonomyrmex occidentalis Journal

#170 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 5 2020 - 6:15 PM

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Compared to my videos, it is quite abysmal.


  • RushmoreAnts likes this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#171 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 26 2020 - 3:11 PM

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These are all doing excellently. They(with the exception of Queen 1's) havent gained workers in a little while, and mainly just have piles of larvae.

 

Queen 1) 8 or so larvae, 20ish workers(Just gained 2). They have been on the same diet, with the occasional fly. I did feed them a dead B. patagonicus alate though, they enjoyed that.

 

Queen 2) 15 larvae, 13 workers. They have been on the same diet, with the occasional fly.

 

Complete Invalid

 

Trio: Doing great in their outworld, and recently enjoyed some fruit flies. I have also introduced a liquid feeder. Now that they are filled up, and their larvae too, they don't really forage any more, so I can just pick the tube up from the outworld, and look at them that way. I assume that by the end of the year when their 50 or so larvae hatch, that won't be so. Another problem with these, and the others, is that they are running out of water. At least these don't seem to react horribly to stress, so, once the Trios larvae gets bigger, or ideally to the pupal stage, I will dump them into either a new tube, or a hydrostone formicarium. A new tube being the most likely.

 

 

There is a video of them.

 

Queen 4: 10 workers, and about 8 brood.


Edited by NickAnter, June 26 2020 - 3:27 PM.

  • AntsMaryland, ANTdrew, RushmoreAnts and 1 other like this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#172 Online RushmoreAnts - Posted June 26 2020 - 7:02 PM

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Don’t you just love how fat their queens get.........

"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis

#173 Offline NickAnter - Posted August 6 2020 - 1:44 PM

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One of them is confirmed to be niger, specifically Queen 2. Still unknown for the others.

 

The worker count has not changed, but I have move Queens 1 and two to new test tubes. Queen 1's colony also got an outworld.


  • RushmoreAnts likes this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#174 Offline NickAnter - Posted August 6 2020 - 1:46 PM

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Lasius niger(Queen 2)

 

(Queen 4)

(Queen 1)

(Trio)


Edited by NickAnter, August 6 2020 - 1:47 PM.

  • RushmoreAnts likes this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#175 Offline NickAnter - Posted September 29 2020 - 11:11 AM

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The trio has over 80 workers, and over 150 larvae that they will overwinter. They also have 6 pupae, and once those pupae eclose, I will put them in hibernation. The two smaller colonies haven't been growing much, as I haven't been feeding them much. I will post pics of the Trio later today. They have been foraging a lot more now, which is nice. They are in full light, so I can observe them anytime.


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#176 Offline NickAnter - Posted November 1 2020 - 6:48 AM

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They just keep laying eggs! They should want to go into hibernation, but instead just keep producing brood! Here is a video from a week ago:

They have laid like 30 more eggs since then.

Edited by NickAnter, November 1 2020 - 6:49 AM.

  • TennesseeAnts likes this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#177 Offline NickAnter - Posted November 1 2020 - 7:08 AM

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  • M_Ants likes this

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#178 Offline madbiologist - Posted November 1 2020 - 8:05 AM

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It looks like most of their larvae aren't developing, so you probably just have to wait till the large larvae eclose, the eggs will be larvae by then.

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#179 Offline NickAnter - Posted November 1 2020 - 12:51 PM

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Thank you for the advice. They sure are taking their time. And my Temnothorax arent slowing down much at all.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#180 Offline steelplant - Posted November 2 2020 - 3:18 PM

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I wonder if they lay eggs to snack on through the winter. Some of my Lasius colonies have unexpected piles of eggs.
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