Click to view full story of "A Queen I have had for a year"

KiamCameron: A Queen I have had for a year (2. Mär 2008 21:25)

I have a queen that I thought of lasius niger but today I looked at it and got one of my other lasius niger queens and this one is smaller and the eggs are all spreaded out no wonder why it does that so can you guys send pictures of other lasius species in the UK but I dont need lasius flavus as its defenietely not that this time I should be able to get some pictures from a digital camera just hope it has macro lenses or something but if not i will still take one and post it soon...

And im having a lot of trouble breeding it I cant seem to get larvae from the queen:/

miszt: (2. Mär 2008 23:05)

she may not be fertile, size does vary slightly between ants of the same species, it may be that her Gaster (her 'tail') has less nutriants stored as she has tried to produce eggs

if she doesnt have larvae after a year, then she is unlikly to i'm afraid :(

KiamCameron: (2. Mär 2008 23:38)

Hmm weird she has no wings and I remember catching her searching the ground for a place to nest...

tail__: (3. Mär 2008 08:33)

Some ant queens need a winter rest before starting a new colony, otherwise they eat all eggs they lay. Put her into refridgerator for a month or two, then feed her well with protein food and try again. This can be Lasius brunneus, for example, but it's only guess.
If you don't have good macro lens in your camera, simple thick magnifying glass can do wonders sometimes.

JimmyVe: (3. Mär 2008 17:27)

Queens without wings are not always fertilized, most of the time they are but there is still a small change they are not. Also some queens are just not strong enough to start up a colony.

Let us know who you are,
here .
Thanks !