65 replies to this topic

[Serafine]

They still keep going, I can frequently see them out with 5-6 workers now when there's food. They're carrying a lot of sand into the tube.

 

 

Tried to make a picture for a more clean vision (tube is getting quite dirty), due to the tiny arena they're in it ended up being a vertical one. No idea about the number of workers, I'd say "many"

[Connectimyrmex]

I hope I can get a nice colony like that from my Lasius neoniger or Lasius flavus (thanks for the queen ctanter)

[Serafine]

Yummy bee brood! (I know it's bad quality but this 20x10cm outworld is a nightmare for taking pictures)

 

More ants, more pupae, more eggs. Not sure about the larvae, there's definitely some but they're in a back corner where they can barely be seen).

 

This is the tube from outside. These ants aren't even remotely as clean as my Camponotus.

[Serafine]

They're still active as can be seen by this little fella nipping some sugar water.

 

They have so many pupae (and ants) now that you can barely see the other brood stages.

 

 

Here's some eggs and larvae covered under the massive amount of pupae and ants. They're barely visible from above but luckily you can see them from the side. Id didn't feed them to extensively over the last days as I assumed they had lesss brood but now I think I need to up their food supply again (they just got a whole bee larva).

[Serafine]

Yummy yummy, I got bees in my tummy!

 

They're still active, although a little less than before. They're not as nocturnal as the Camponotus but rather shy and usually retreat to the tube when disturbed.

 

Here are some really big workers in the middle of the brood pile.

 

More eggs.

[Connectimyrmex]

Yummy yummy, I got bees in my tummy!

 

They're still active, although a little less than before. They're not as nocturnal as the Camponotus but rather shy and usually retreat to the tube when disturbed.

 

Here are some really big workers in the middle of the brood pile.

 

More eggs.

How do you get all the bee pupae?

[Serafine]

A friend of mine is keeping bees. He gave me a full comb plate that's now in my freezer. Currently my supply is essentially unlimited (and I will get more this summer) but I'm also trying to get them to eat other food as well cause when they grow larger there will come a point where their food consumption exceeds my bee brood supplies per year =)

[Connectimyrmex]

A friend of mine is keeping bees. He gave me a full comb plate that's now in my freezer. Currently my supply is essentially unlimited (and I will get more this summer) but I'm also trying to get them to eat other food as well cause when they grow larger there will come a point where their food consumption exceeds my bee brood supplies per year =)

I see
Now I feel like I need bees, I have so many finicky eaters that only take Formica pupae and termite reproductive nymphs.

[Serafine]

Not too much change so far. Less pupae, more ants and maybe they're finally getting ready for the end of the season.

[Penguin]

 

A friend of mine is keeping bees. He gave me a full comb plate that's now in my freezer. Currently my supply is essentially unlimited (and I will get more this summer) but I'm also trying to get them to eat other food as well cause when they grow larger there will come a point where their food consumption exceeds my bee brood supplies per year =)

I see
Now I feel like I need bees, I have so many finicky eaters that only take Formica pupae and termite reproductive nymphs.

 

 

Wait, Formica pupae? How do you even figure out that they like that, you just say, "Hey they won't eat anything else, so lets just try some Formica pupae!"

[T.C.]

Impressive growth. I look forward to this colonies mature size.

[Serafine]

Hm, not sure what they are doing.

I rarely see them outside and they don't eat much (though I know Lasius niger are very modest ants so they don't need much) but I'm pretty sure there's a LOT more of them now.

 

 

Edited by Serafine, January 17 2018 - 2:55 PM.

[Will230145]

I have Lasius Neoniger queen, I also have an omni nest i will move the colony in, but the outworld is smaller than a usual one, will that be a problem? I also really love your colony 

[Serafine]

Small update!

 

I replaced the Sunburst-sugarwater mixture with diluted maple syrup and within a few minutes the colony's activity EXPLODED. I had rarely ever seen them outside during the last weeks, but suddenly up to 20 workers were outside nipping at the feeder from all sides. They soon reduced the outside worker amount to around 5 workers at a time but were outside for several hours during the entire night until the late morning. Now they all look much fatter than before.

 

 

 

Inside the tube not much has changed, they still have a few larvae but I couldn't see eggs or pupae, which isn't really surprising as they're supposed to hibernate.

 

 

 

I did however spot something unexpected - a callow. Looks like despite they're in a colder place now and a lot less active (they barely react to light) they're still raising some brood but at a much lower rate.

 

 

 

I have Lasius Neoniger queen, I also have an omni nest i will move the colony in, but the outworld is smaller than a usual one, will that be a problem? I also really love your colony 

Please do NOT force-move them out of their tube, it's not good for them. Small ant colonies, especially when they're of a small species, should stay in test tubes until they fill them out entirely (or move on their own).

Just put their test tube into the omni nest outworld and cover it with a piece of cardboard, they'll be fine (and give them some sand, I found that Lasius love sand - they cover their larvae in it so they can make cocoons and they use it to cover and suppress mold on the cotton). The size of the outworld doesn't really matter while to colony is small, when it grows larger you'll need an additional outworld anyway. You also need a good barrier, people don't mention it often but Lasius ants are really good at escaping.

[Will230145]

I would NEVER move an ant queen into a formicarium, I was referring to a future time. Thankyou!

[Serafine]

MEEP MEEP, the Speedos are back!
 
The activity in February was just a short spike where they filled up their gasters but now they are actively taking in protein food - they just dragged two flies into the tube (caught those with an electric fly swatter) and are working on a small cricket.
A Lazy Tube update is also in the works and should come soon (problem isn't a lack of pictures but quite the opposite, I need to condense 300+ pictures down to a bearable amount).
 

 

 

 

Edited by Serafine, April 27 2018 - 1:08 PM.

[Serafine]

Oh great, looks like the Speedos are picky little divas - the cricket keeps getting ignored but every fly dropped into the outworld is gone within minutes.

[Barristan]

Very nice journal with great pictures. I also like your idea with the straw. Flies are preferred by most ant species over everything else.

[CoolColJ]

Hmm Electric Fly Swatter with some fly bait? hmmm

 

nice idea which I will pinch.

Actually now I'm thinking insect trap, with bait, for endless ant food

Edited by CoolColJ, April 29 2018 - 1:15 AM.

[Barristan]

Hmm Electric Fly Swatter with some fly bait? hmmm

 

nice idea which I will pinch.

Actually now I'm thinking electric fly trap, with bait

 

Or you do it the hard way:

 

 

I wonder what my neighbor was thinking when I was running around slapping flies while filming everything...