Kiam: Found Queen Ant (27. Jun 2007 19:21)

I have found a queen ant when I was walking home back from the shops and I picked it up and put it in a test tube when I got home it looks about same height as my lasius flavus queen I already have so I think it could be lasius flavus
And It has seemed to off settled down because it was running around the tube but now staying still in like I think an egg laying position but I need to know if I should
1. Feed Her
2. Add Brood from other colonies/species
3. How many times to check on her a day so I dont distract her

Hope you can help me out :)

JimmyVe: (27. Jun 2007 19:24)

You let here in the tube and see if she starts laying eggs, you can feed here a little sugar/water or honey. not to much. Try checking up on here every 2 days. let her rest a bit.

sithmaster676: (27. Jun 2007 19:26)

hi
i will try to help u as much as i can :)
1. you can feed her it will increase her chance of successfulness with her colony the best thing to feed her would be a high sugar concentrate such as honey water but add extra sugar this will give her an energy boost.
2. you can add brood to her if you wish see may not accept them they best to give her would be cocoons as they will develop sooner try to give her a similar species of ant so give her lasius flavus cocoons
3. try not to stress her to much i would recommend only looking at her once a week if you plan to give her cocoons to see if they have hatched
hope that has helped
Sithmaster676

Kiam: (27. Jun 2007 19:31)

Thanks Would some just little bits of grains off sugar be any help ?

hypervelocity: (28. Jun 2007 11:32)

Hi all,

Kiam queens thet have just broken off here wings wont feed until the first workers arive :-).

Kale^^: (28. Jun 2007 15:03)

Hi all,

Kiam queens thet have just broken off here wings wont feed until the first workers arive :-). WRONG
I am sure that the risk of queen dieing due to lack of food is pretty high, so i feed my queens, they DO eat if you offer them food. And this way they wont eat their few eggs and you get 2x more first workers, "nanitics"

acerola: (28. Jun 2007 16:53)

There are different queens I think. Formica like queens have the ability to create the first workers without additional food. (like formica, lasius)
Myrmica like queens on the other hand are smaller and did not have the body fat, so they are go hunting befor the first worker arrive.

hypervelocity: (28. Jun 2007 20:01)

Hi all,

Great fakts, kiam this info i great!!!
Aslo some queens like Atta feed on fungus (i think).

Kiam: (28. Jun 2007 20:53)

Yeah most interesting part today was when I saw I think it was either myrmica rubra ant or one of its family myrmica because it looked like myrmica and I have none in my garden but one came in and I think it might be queen so i took it and see what will happen

JimmyVe: (28. Jun 2007 22:14)

Thanks Would some just little bits of grains off sugar be any help ?

If it is in deed a Lasius flavus queen she will not eat grains. ;)
I to feed my new queens always a little bit. Queens with not much body fat i feed sugar/water and fruit fly's. Queens with much body fat i only feed them sugar/water.

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