23 replies to this topic

[Will230145]

I am having a REALLY hard time deciding between my Formica Subsericea Colony or my Lasius neoniger!

 

I like how my Formica are alert, active, energetic, and are larger ants.

But, i also like how my Lasius are brown, (i have a Camp. pennsylvanicus. colony, so i want a different color) but they are slow, and not as active, and tiny.

I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE TO KEEP!!!

(it's driving me so crazy i'm having dreams about them!)

Edited by Will230145, February 13 2018 - 6:42 PM.

[Reacker]

Both. If you have the resources to keep one then you have the resources to keep both.

[Chicken_eater100]

Formica all the way.

[Mettcollsuss]

Keep both.

[Serafine]

Did you hibernate your Lasius (neo)niger properly? Usually they are extremely energetic ants. They are kinda modest though so they are probably very easy to overfeed (which obviously results in less activity). Also Lasius neoniger colonies grow much larger (10000+ workers) than Seriformica species (a few thousands), so their threshold for more outside activity might be larger - I had to wait almost a year for my Camponotus (one that makes huge colonies) to show decent outside activity.

 

How high is their (nest) temperature? Lasius neoniger likes it really warm (25+ to 30°C), they are kinda slow and inactive when it's only moderately warm. Also what sugar source do you provide them with? Sugar water? Honey? Diluted maple syrup? I found that an inadequate sugar source can have a major impact on a colony's activity.

Edited by Serafine, February 14 2018 - 4:30 AM.

[Will230145]

Well, I have them on a heating cable of 15watt, I feed them (the Queen as she is still founding) honey but nothing else, she has about 22 eggs, I will probably keep her, I also have a journal on her

[Jadeninja9]

Why don’t you keep both lol

[dermy]

Keep both, you never know how it will turn out. Not all queens make colonies some just don't do well unfortunately

 

 

They won't take up too much space or resources anyway, they are North American ants not Tropical ones. They grow pretty slowly.

[Will230145]

I only have one nest and my mom and dad only allow me too keep two ☹️

[dermy]

Nests are easy to make for ant colonies, even a simple tube and tub setup will work for a colony [basically putting test-tubes as nesting areas inside a tub that is used as the foraging area]

 

 

As for the parent part I can't really help there........

[Mettcollsuss]

I only have one nest and my mom and dad only allow me too keep two ☹️

For the nest problem, you could do this for one of the colonies.

 

For the parent problem, keep the two colonies for a little while, and you might prove to them that you're responsible enough for more.

Edited by Mettcollsuss, February 14 2018 - 2:32 PM.

[Will230145]

Well I just bought a nest for my Lasius Neoniger colony, but I am still thinking about keeping my Formica Subsericea colony.

Edited by Will230145, February 14 2018 - 3:04 PM.

[Dmitry_serg]

buy an ant colony are not suitable for Russia from USA

[drtrmiller]

buy an ant colony are not suitable for Russia from USA

Well at least we can still import Russian elections

Edited by drtrmiller, February 17 2018 - 12:00 PM.

[Serafine]

Russia has elections? I thought their leaders were just playing Journey to Jerusalem every few years 
 
APHIS clearly needs to improve it's contamination efforts - but then they don't think Pheidole megacephala needs regulation, so nobody should be surprised they're letting in everything these days...
 

Well I just bought a nest for my Lasius Neoniger colony, but I am still thinking about keeping my Formica Subsericea colony.

Just keep the Formica in a tubs&tubes nest.

Edited by Serafine, February 17 2018 - 11:03 AM.

[Will230145]

Ok, thanks

[Reacker]

 

buy an ant colony are not suitable for Russia from USA

Well at least we can still import Russian elections

 

Is this facebook now?

[drtrmiller]

 

 

buy an ant colony are not suitable for Russia from USA

Well at least we can still import Russian elections

 

Is this facebook now?

 

 

Obviously a cheap imitation. Their Russians spoke better English.

Edited by drtrmiller, February 17 2018 - 12:00 PM.

[Reacker]

you sound like the stereotype of a crazy uncle injecting politics into every unrelated situation

[drtrmiller]

you sound like the stereotype of a crazy uncle injecting politics into every unrelated situation

Find one more.

Edited by drtrmiller, February 17 2018 - 1:09 PM.