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barnettgs: Lone Queen in tube... (13. Aug 2005 16:06)

Thanks to Antstore's lighting fast delivery! Guaranteed to be faster than Superman! :shock:

I ordered items along with Lasius niger queen last Wednesday night and it has just arrived my doorstep on Friday! Most impressive is that delivery is faster from Germany to N Ireland than it is from England to N Ireland! Well done!

Anyway, just a question, I have just opened tube with queen in it and placed it inside small plastic container with a tiny plate of fly insect and honey drop supplied by Antstore.

Now, I am not sure but I think she might have been eating a few eggs sometimes later after tube has opened but is that normal?

I must be thinking that I made a mistake by opening the tube too early but she haven't go out of tube yet.

Should I leave queen alone in tube with plug until first broods hatched?

Thanks

Martin S.: (13. Aug 2005 20:18)

Hello Barnettgs,

Now, I am not sure but I think she might have been eating a few eggs sometimes later after tube has opened but is that normal?
- so a thing can happen with stress. It cannot be a food storage. because still no workers exist.

Should I leave queen alone in tube with plug until first broods hatched?
- Yes, please have patience.

Greetings Martin :D

barnettgs: (13. Aug 2005 20:53)

- so a thing can happen with stress. It cannot be a food storage. because still no workers exist.

Ok, you are saying that queen is stressed out because of no workers exists?

- Yes, please have patience.

Thanks, I understand so I shall plug it back with stuffing permeable and just not feed it for a month or two?

Do you recommended leaving tube in dark, safe & storage without disturbing for a month or two?

Thanks

K Kris: (14. Aug 2005 00:21)

Hi Barnettgs,

First of all, many species with claustral colony founding (i.e. they remain alone without foraging for food) eat some of their brood. Often even grown colonies do that - it can be a way of population control. It's just the way ants function - so no worries there.
Secondly, you can leave the tube either plugged or unplugged. It doesn't really matter. The Queen will stay in there and go through colony-founding by herself. The main thing you have to show now is patience. The workers will hatch sooner or later - it'll be more fun then - if you take good care of the colony.
Best of luck!!!

HeldGoP: (14. Aug 2005 00:43)

you can take a straw and use it with a bit wool as a plug. then you can take a q-tip and put it through the straw in the test tube.

so you can provide fresh honey-shugar-water solution to your queen and its no problem to renew the honey water, because it gets mouldy after a few days.

you can also put some milk on the q-tip. but i wouldnt left the qtip more than one day in the straw.

and yes, the tube should stored at a dark place. but you also could wrap the tube with a few (2-3) layers of red foil. ants cant see red and think its dark but you can watch them.

greetings

K Kris: (14. Aug 2005 00:51)

HeldGop is perfectly right although there are some hints in the literature that feeding claustrally founding Queens could be counterproductive!
Many ant-enthusiast feed their Queens during colony founding and nothing is really wrong with that. As for me...I normally don't do that and recommend to anyone to refrain from that.

barnettgs: (14. Aug 2005 02:16)

Thanks for useful information & tip!

I have just made up my mind and go for easiest route - plug it back & leave it alone until first brood hatched. I guess it is natural way to do.

Cheers

Gary

HeldGoP: (16. Aug 2005 21:41)

i would give the queen a bit honey, she lost a lot energy while eating the eggs and during the stress while shipping.

and thats not the case in mother natures way ^^