2 replies to this topic

[CatsnAnts]

Hey there!

I currently have two Lasius umbratus queens with host workers and am about to introduce a third to workers. While aspirating some workers from another Lasius sp. nest, I noticed a large herd of root aphids on a pin oak sprout, so I collected it along with the workers. I even proceeded to collect extra workers so that I could have a separate tube purely for culturing the root aphids. Any input on how I could care for them/raise them for my future Lasius colonies?

Edited by CatsnAnts, July 16 2020 - 6:44 AM.

[ponerinecat]

To my knowledge no ones done it in the hobby, but maybe entomologists/botanists have in the past?

[AnthonyP163]

I had a Lasius brevicornis colony in a small vivarium with grass, and a few other organisms. I found root aphids in the colonies from a forest near me and decided to dump them in with the Lasius. I still sometimes notice them on the grass roots, but don't really know how to keep them. I know that the particular species I had, Geoica utricularia, seem to always be tended by ants. I learned from the aphid experts at InfluentialPoints that most root aphids prefer xeric environments. 

 

If you are trying to culture the exact aphids you mentioned, you'd obviously need the plant that they come from. Some aphids can have multiple hosts, so if you wish to learn about more plants they could be associated with, I suggest identifying them. InfluentialPoints is good for that. Their main focus is on British aphids, but they have a lot of info for aphids around the world.

 

I also heard from those at InfluentialPoints that someone has written a paper with a section concerning the rearing of aphids with ants. Let me know if this link works.

 

Good luck.