8 replies to this topic

[brian]

There is so little information on keeping these girls that I can find. Everthing is about exterminating them. I have hundreds of these girls nests under rocks and logs around my home. But all I ever read is that they eat Honeydew. Has anyone here ever successfully kept them? If so what did you feed them and house them in?
Thanks everyone

[Zeiss]

I'm not familiar with anyone keeping them before, but there may be some results with a search on the forum.

 

I wouldn't think they're far off from other ants.  Honeydew is just sugar water, so you could make a mix of sugar:water (1:3).  You could also buy Sunburst by byFormica or try other hummingbird nectars.  As for protein, I think dead insects would be fine.

 

As for housing, not sure.

[Manitobant]

Here is an old journal on this species: https://www.formicul...lasius-latipes/

[RushmoreAnts]

Lots of people keep parasitic Lasius. Just read AnthonyP163’s journal: https://www.formicul...8&hl=aphidicola

[Nare]

Lots of people keep parasitic Lasius. Just read AnthonyP163’s journal: https://www.formicul...8&hl=aphidicola

L. aphidicola and L. speculiventris are Chthonolasius / umbratus-group iirc, which have been kept plenty of times before. Acanthomyops / claviger-group are more difficult to keep iirc, but I'm fairly certain they've been kept / raised before. A quick scan of the journal reveals much more success with umbratus-group than claviger-group. So yes, plenty of people keep parasitic Lasius, but not many people have success with claviger-group it seems.

[RushmoreAnts]

Oh, ok. However, this year I am going to attempt to found Acanthomyops (probably claviger).

[brian]

Thank you to everyone for your help.

[AnthonyP163]

Lasius latipes doesn't seem to be much more complicated than others, like Lasius claviger (both Acanthomyops). I have had a queen of Lasius latipes get accepted by some Lasius neoniger workers, but she died a few days later. I think I simply got unlucky. It is notable that Lasius latipes have very big legs, some suggest these are for burrowing to get attackers off of them; just thought that is interesting. 

 

It is insanely difficult to find a queen in a mature colony of this species. They fly mostly in August. Their workers are also closely related to a lot of other Lasius. 

[RushmoreAnts]

Lasius latipes doesn't seem to be much more complicated than others, like Lasius claviger (both Acanthomyops). I have had a queen of Lasius latipes get accepted by some Lasius neoniger workers, but she died a few days later. I think I simply got unlucky. It is notable that Lasius latipes have very big legs, some suggest these are for burrowing to get attackers off of them; just thought that is interesting. 

 

It is insanely difficult to find a queen in a mature colony of this species. They fly mostly in August. Their workers are also closely related to a lot of other Lasius. 

I tried founding claviger queens a couple years ago, but I was not too well versed in the ways of social parasites, and just threw them in with some neoniger workers (a couple hundred). They got tore to shreds.......... I realize now aphidicola is MUCH easier to found. However, I plan to try again with claviger this year.