Now, about 2 years on. They were brood boosted with some wild collected Lasius pupae last year. I believe some of them may not be L. Niger, as there's some variation in the size and darkness of the workers. But they all work together, and the colony is starting to explode!
The nests: two handmade Ytong nests. The one with the red cover is the new nest addition, & workers have just started moving brood in over the last week.
I estimate that last year before hibernation, there were around 1,000 workers. There was a massive die off after hibernation, so I'm not really sure how many workers we're at now. But with all the brood they have, they'll be over 1k again in no time.
Some brood piles. Most larvae are about to pupate, some are pupating without a cocoon.
The queen has decided to move to a spot where she's highly visible, which is awesome! Here she is with her HUGE egg pile. These have all been laid in the last few weeks!
I can't wait to see what happens this year, it already looks like the colony is about to double in size.
Edited by FelixTheAnter, April 26 2023 - 2:28 AM.
