9-13-2014
 
On the evening of 8-27-2014 I found one of these Lasius sp. dealates up near San Antonio Falls by Mt. Baldy, California. Later that night I found another one in Ice House Canyon, just a little ways from there.
 
ID Thread: https://www.formicul....php/topic/477-
 
1. Location of collection:  Ice House Canyon, Mt. Baldy, California.
2. Date of collection:  8-27-2014.
3. Habitat of collection:  Pine/Oak Forest.
4. Length (from head to gaster):  5 mm.
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture:  All yellowish-brown, with a redish-brown thorax.
6. Distinguishing characteristics:  Parasitic look with small gaster.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Since this and another Lasius sp. I found up there were obviously parasitic, I immediately started coming up with a plan to get some workers for them. It took a week, but I finally obtained some of what should be Lasius crypticus. I chilled some of these workers and introduced them to the queens. At first they pulled on their legs and acted aggressive toward them, but after a little while, they were all getting along fine.
 
Another week went by, and I came across a ton of Lasius pupae and workers of a smaller, darker species.
 

 

 
 
I introduced a bunch of these pupae to them, but after a few days it became apparent, that the L. crypticus workers just weren't caring for these pupae at all. In the time that their own sisters helped a whole bunch of them eclose in the tube I had them stored in, not a single one eclosed in either of the queens' test tubes. Also, I found one of these queens dead later, so now I only have one.
 

 
 
Tonight I removed the L. crypticus workers, and added a few more pupae (since a lot of the first ones were dead), along with a few callow workers from the smaller, darker Lasius colony again. Hopefully this works out better.

Update 10-15-2014

 

I only have one of these left. I moved it into a small foraging container and put it in hibernation a week ago.

Isn't this your citronella ant? Aww she is my favorite of your Lasius.

Yes, it should be.

Update 1-16-2015
 
I took these out of hibernation but unfortunately, this last queen has died.

Update 5-19-2015
 
I just found three more of these on 5-11-2015 at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, near Highland, California. What's weird through, is I found them at 1800 feet. Even though the mountains I found them in go up to 10,000 feet, the nearest location that gets snow is a long long ways from there.
 
One of these has died, so I was able to get some good microscope pictures of it.
 
They still had their wings, so I'm not sure if they're fertile or not. I put the remaining two in the fridge a week ago to hopefully keep them alive until I find some Lasius brood to give them.
 

 

 

Update 6-14-2015
 

Two weeks ago I found a bunch of what looks like Lasius niger pupae in Angelus Oaks, California, so I took the queens out of the fridge. Since then one queen has died. It wasn't until yesterday that some of those pupae eclosed, and when they did, I put two of the callow workers and some of the pupae in with the queen.

Update 7-2-2015
 

First of all, the queen has quite a few adopted workers now, but still has not laid any eggs.

 

I just found another one of these while running my black light in Trabuco Canyon, California on 6-28-2015, around 9:00 pm. I still had some of the Lasius workers I boosted the other one with, so I found two callows and gave them and a few cocoons to this queen. They immediately accepted each other.

 

I'm a bit more confused now than I was when I found the last few of these down at 1800 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains, because this one was at 1200 feet in the Santa Ana Mountains. There is no snow within 80 miles of this place.

Update 7-27-2015
 

One of these is dead now, and the other still hasn't produced any brood.

Update 8-5-2015
 

The last queen died.

Update 6-20-2016
 
I just found four more of these queens on my black light on 6-17-2016, in Trabuco Canyon, CA. One of them had already torn it's wings off.
 
One day later, one of the alates laid a small pile of eggs.
 
I also took a trip up to the mountains to look for some Lasius brood to boost them with. I didn't manage to find any brood, but I did collect a bunch of workers. The workers are citronella ants, I'm assuming Lasius interjectus, even though every website I check seems to say neither L. interjectus nor L. claviger are found in CA. I don't even know if I'm supposed to boost them with another parasitic species. I really don't know much at all about Lasius to tell the truth. I gave the queens the workers anyway, and they all accepted each other immediately.
 

 

Laying eggs already is a good sign! Did she lay them before host workers, or after?

That one laid them the next day, before the workers were even there. The eggs don't look very healthy now though.

Update 6-28-2016
 
I accidentally let two of these colonies dry out because I didn't get a chance to put them in test tubes yet, and one of the remaining colonies almost got wiped out by a test tube flood.
 
I put both of the remaining "colonies" in some of the little founding nests I made.
 

 

 

I put both of the remaining "colonies" in some of the little founding nests I made.

Dspdrew, do you have a post/thread describing your founding nest design? If not, I'd like to know your method here.

 

I put both of the remaining "colonies" in some of the little founding nests I made.

Dspdrew, do you have a post/thread describing your founding nest design? If not, I'd like to know your method here.

 

 

http://www.formicult...ated-6-13-2016/

Update 7-4-2016
 
All but one of the boost workers have died off. I put both of these queens into hibernation.

I know this is necrobump but I thought you could only use Niger group lasius for parasitic purposes

I know this is necrobump but I thought you could only use Niger group lasius for parasitic purposes

 

A host species is only recognized when a colony is discovered that happens to have both species within the nest, and presumed when a queen is observed infiltrating another species (this might be biased, since  most of the other subgenera in North America rarely forage above-ground and don't have conventional nest entrances). I think we have a lot to learn about the range of hosts that are compatible with social parasites. Species like Lasius speculiventris and L. plumipilosus are recorded as "hyperparasites", since they have been found with Lasius minutus and Lasius claviger host workers, respectively. I have a new Lasius umbratus queen who is producing large clutches of brood amongst a flavus-group host, although I am still waiting for the first worker. I have had similar results using Lasius umbratus workers with Lasius subumbratus, which has only been recorded with Lasius pallitarsis in the wild, but this colony was sadly wiped out by one Camponotus major that fell into the foraging arena. I  would not necessarily count either of these as true successes yet, but laying eggs has always been a very promising sign with social parasites.

 

I do agree that it is always better to use a host species that a parasite is recorded with, often from the niger group. One interesting observation was when a host of Lasius umbratus workers, living with a Lasius latipes queen, ditched her in order to live with a young and completely unrelated Lasius alienus colony that was sharing the foraging arena. Social parasites love Laius alienus.

Edited by Batspiderfish, September 14 2016 - 9:20 PM.

Update 9-24-2016
 
Just checked on these queens and both of them are dead.