Ok guys,
One of my Lasius niger queens has died, but ive still got around 6 workers left.. any chance they would be accepted by my other colony.. also what about the eggs and brood.. would another colony take them on?
Regards
Sorry to hear that :( .
If the other colony is large enough to cope with extra brood then they may take it in, otherwise they will just discard the brood if there is too much. I find that realy small colonies will sometimes accept workers if those workers have been without a queen for a couple of weeks and pretty much 'lost' their colony scent.
Sorry to hear that Steve.
sometimes accept workers if those workers have been without a queen for a couple of weeks and pretty much 'lost' their colony scent.
Well i hear that all the time, it never worked for me. And i'm thinking it will not work for you to Steve, Lasius niger are very aggressive so they probably kill the other workers.
What species did you try with Jimmy? I haven't tried with Lasius niger but it's worked for Camponotus ligniperda and Pheidole pallidula.
Lasius niger are extremly terratorial, i very much doubt they will accept the workers, the eggs and larvae will probly be killed aswell, the coccons will most likly be accepted
They accept larvae :) but I do not know about eggs... cocoons are mostly always accepted...
Sorry about your queen:/
SORRY to hear that'
But only one way to find out Steve ................ experiment.
If you do ,let us know.
Yeh no probs.. i think il try one at a time.. but il start next week.. quite sad to see the workers all huddled together.. they look soo miserable... must be a tough life when u live for your queen an when she is gone thats it.. u have no purpose.
What species did you try with Jimmy?
Lasius niger, Formica cunicularia, Formica rufibarbis
And it did not work at all, they just killed the worker(s)
Lol, those are all realy agressive species. Perhaps it only works with non agressive species, athough I thought Pheidole pallidula and Camponotus ligniperda were quite agressive.