17 replies to this topic

[vsotirchenas]

Hello all,

 

Fairly new in the ant-keeping family, still reading a lot. Recently bought a lasius niger queen with some 10 workers along with their farm-outworld setup. The really like their tube for the time being, even closed the entrance with sand from the outworld.

 

Today, I picked up a nice wood stick in order to decorate the outworld and brought it home in order to boil it. Leaving it on the table, I noticed some reddish ants and tearing the wood open I see about 20 workers and a considerable amount of eggs!

 

So I decided to close the lasius niger test tube entrance with cotton, remove it from the outworld, and put the wood/nest with the red ants inside. I also added some cotton with water, a drop of honey and some insect powder. Within an hour they had moved all the eggs out of sight further into the wood and started exploring but not really interested in my food offerings.

 

Questions:

- Could there be a queen somewhere inside the nest?

- If there isn't, do you think they can make it ? (I have no clue what they are)

 

In any case, they can stay in my setup until the lasius niger colony is ready to move out the tube.

[Martialis]

Quite possibly there's a queen inside. Post pics to get them identified.

[Jamie_Garrison]

Quite possibly there's a queen inside. Post pics to get them identified.

 

What would be a method of forcing the colony out of the piece of wood?  Heat lamp?

[Martialis]

 

Quite possibly there's a queen inside. Post pics to get them identified.

 

What would be a method of forcing the colony out of the piece of wood?  Heat lamp?

 

 

Let the wood dry out on its own. Don't force a move. Also offer a better option.

[Works4TheGood]

Quite possibly there's a queen inside. Post pics to get them identified.

 
What would be a method of forcing the colony out of the piece of wood?  Heat lamp?

 
Let the wood dry out on its own. Don't force a move. Also offer a better option.

Good idea!

[vsotirchenas]

Thanks for the answers everyone, I will try to get a decent picture and have them identified.

 

So far they will not eat the powdered insects, or the honey, so I will buy some fruit today to see if that gets them happy. 

 

Stay tuned!

[vsotirchenas]

Hello again everyone,

 

I uploaded an album http://www.formicult...nest-discovery/, but the quality is bad. How do you zoom in so much?

 

This is the best I think, any ideas of the species?

 

Thanks!

[ctantkeeper]

appears to by Temnothorax. possibly T. ambiguus.

[vsotirchenas]

appears to by Temnothorax. possibly T. ambiguus.

 

Amazing! Much appreciated, thank you.

[ctantkeeper]

 

appears to by Temnothorax. possibly T. ambiguus.

 

Amazing! Much appreciated, thank you.

 

Np!!! glad to help

[Martialis]

We cannot make an accurate guess without measurements. Also I don't think the workers can be seen clearly enough,  Where were they caught?

[vsotirchenas]

We cannot make an accurate guess without measurements. Also I don't think the workers can be seen clearly enough,  Where were they caught?

I understand, this is an estimation. I will try to take a better picture this afternoon. They were picked up by mistake inside a piece of wood. The location is Athens, Greece.

[Alabama Anter]

I agree with Temnothorax sp, but we would need better pics for more accurate IDs

[ctantkeeper]

I agree with Temnothorax sp, but we would need better pics for more accurate IDs

Agreed. I had no idea that it was from outside of the US. In order to thoroughly ID it we would need some better pictures.

[vsotirchenas]

Hello guys!

 

Sorry about the late reply, father duties! Unfortunately, my photography skills did not improve, so if they do not provide a clue, I'll have to call a friend with a proper camera.

 

The new colony is having some issues, mainly with ants getting stuck together. I have unstuck at least 10 pairs but they keep getting stuck together for no reason, both ants very annoyed at the fact. Also, they will only eat spiders, no sugar water, honey, fruit, or protein powder, which will be a challenge to provide.

 

I emptied the sand farm destined for the lasius niger and prepare to fill it with wood so that a cozy home is provided. Any tips to prevent molding?

 

Thanks again for the wonderful support!

 

[Leo]

springtails for mould

[vsotirchenas]

Here's one guy drinking water

[vsotirchenas]

Hi team,

 

Turns out there were two nests, and the ants were fighting each other. I separated them and released them, hopefully this will prevent casualties.

 

Thanks for all the support nevertheless, back to my lasius niger colony