10 replies to this topic

[oxlasius]

Regular updates on my first L niger colony

[oxlasius]

Hey guys!
My friend has been hibernating some L niger n L flavus queens, I managed to persuade him to give me a L niger queen as my first colony because I know how robust and easy they are to keep, I'm 2 weeks in now and her first 2 workers hatched yesterday with 3 eggs looking to be on the final stage (clear see through ants)! I've stopped feeding them in the test tube ( I use a small bit of tin foil to reduce mould in the test tube and for ease of cleaning) because I've heard that once the first nanetics have been born I should connect them up to an out world.. soo that's what I did (britishants.com) I went online and bout a small founding all in one formicarium I've connected them up to the out world via clear tube to the test tube and keeping them inside my G star beanie cause I find it keeps the temperature just right and it's dark. Just waiting for them to explore now I'll keep you guys posted!

[StopSpazzing]

You should NOT move them until you have 20-50 workers in the test tube. Moving them too soon will result is much slower growth or colony death. Not sure where you got your information from. Please ask us any other questions you may have.

[dermy]

You should NOT move them until you have 20-50 workers in the test tube. Moving them too soon will result is much slower growth or colony death. Not sure where you got your information from. Please ask us any other questions you may have.

Also like to add, if you move them into a nest and they aren't big enough for it, they tend to trash it up and this can lead to mold. Mold leads to colony death in some cases. Also it's really hard to clean most nests out if they do get mold.

[oxlasius]

Thanks for the advice, I've just carefully resealed the test tube and put them back in a dark place. Any ideas how long it'll be?

[oxlasius]

Would it be sufficient if I block the formicarium off and only let them use the out world?

[Serafine]

Lasius niger has a reputation of being extraordinarily stubborn when it comes to moving a colony. They will often only move when either their tube has completely dried out (and even then they may stay in the tube for a few more weeks before they actually move) or when they have outgrown it. There are certain colonies that move quicker but the majority sticks to their nesting location until it really doesn't work out anymore.

 

You can just put the test tube into an outworld which would probably the best thing to do. Lasius niger ants are quite small and extremely fast so there's a high chance of escapees when trying to feed them inside the test tube (also it is extremely disturbing and stressful to the colony). For cover just take a piece of cardboard or thick paper, fold it in the middle and put it over the tube like a tent. Lasius niger does not NEED a dark nest (they are quite adaptable and can get used to light) but if you want to move them one day taking off the cover might encourage them a bit, when they are already used to light you loose that effect. Also keeping them in the dark is definitely the more natural thing.

 

I recommend giving them a small pile of sand, my Lasius niger carried a lot of sand into their tube to insulate the wet cotton, assist their larvae in making cocoons (they completely cover the skin of the larvae with sand) and combat mold (they put some garbage onto the wet cotton and it spawned some mold, then they started to stick sand on it and very successfully suppressed the mold).

 

Generally Lasius niger is a very very durable and modest ant and it is really hard to kill a colony of them even when screwing up big time. Just be aware that they can grow pretty fast, are kind of escape artists and that their colonies can become pretty massive within a few years (up to 50000 workers). Also if you keep them well the new batches of workers will steadily increase in size until up to almost 6mm which is kinda nice (they're easier to spot and less likely to escape through tiny gaps).

Also make sure that in case they do escape can NOT get into the setups of potential other colonies you have. Lasius niger is extremely aggressive towards other ants and surprisingly good at screwing them over (a friend had escape a Lasius niger colony and they almost wiped out his Pheidole megacephala).

Edited by Serafine, February 4 2018 - 2:58 AM.

[oxlasius]

Thanks for the responses guys it's helped out a lot, I'm only checking on my queen every 2 days so I'll keep you posted when more workers arrive!

[Jonathan21700]

It's always better to have a outworld once the first workers are born. You can put a straw into the cotton to make their entrance smaller.

[oxlasius]

That's what I was thinking I've got some more food and clear tubing connectors coming tomorrow so I'm going to connect it up and leave them inside the test tube in my hat, I'm going to block off the formicarium for now until more workers arrive. I just looked now and another worker as arrived to join the ox ranks 👊

[Serafine]

You can just put the test tube into the outworld (preferably on top of a small pile of sand so it lies stable), no need for the massive disturbance that tubing them up causes (this simpler solution also means less potential weak points through which the ants can escape because these ants are sort-of escape artists).

Edited by Serafine, February 4 2018 - 10:58 PM.