3 replies to this topic

[skocko76]

Hi all!

I have a L. niger queen who has lost all of her workers due to unfortunate formicarium poisoning left by manufacturing process.

I am thinking of introducing her to another small L. niger colony I have.

I understand they are monogynous, but I wonder if the workers would eventually accept another queen if they were kept separate.

That's called oligynie, if I'm not mistaken.

I was thinking of keeping the queen separated by a mesh in the beginning and see where it goes from there.

Any experience with that?

 

[Noah Norman]

When my camponotus chromaiodes queen died, I got a new queen and put it and the current colony in the fridge for a day, then the next day I put the new queen in with the colony and left them in the fridge for another day. The ants accepted her as the new queen and there hasn't been any aggression yet. This obviously isn't lasius, but maybe you could try it. I might of miss understood what you ment, but if you are trying to have 2 queens in one colony, that us a very bad idea they will just end up fighting. I wouldn't recommend the mesh because the ants will just be threatened by her and never get a chance to smell her, which is what outting them in the fridge let's them do. The cold masks their scent and slows them down so they aren't as aggressive.

[skocko76]

Yes, I think you're right. She's doomed unfortunately....

If she survives till Spring, I can catch some wild L.nigers and try to fridge them together.

Edited by skocko76, November 23 2017 - 9:49 AM.

[Noah Norman]

Yeah, she should still continue to lay brood, try and get her into a test tube set up and put the food as close as you can to her, she is used to being cared for by the workers, and doesn't have her reserved energy to last her until new workers come, Good luck.