ANTSTORE World of Ants

[stevendunn2003]

hi there, ive got a crisis on my hands, ive had six ants die and i think ive only got 1 more left plus the queen. im feeding them honeywater dead flies, sugar. please could you advise on why this is happening??

thanks

[damondeionno]

Steven

What species? What is the setup?

[damondeionno]

Steven

Right, I've seen your other thread, so I know they're lasius niger and you've got them in an antstore formicarium. Lasius niger are very easy to keep so I'm surprised that they are dying. The only thing I can think of is moisture. Is the sand/soil slightly moist. If it is too wet or v.dry you will have problems.

[stevendunn2003]

yes it is dry in some places, i have noticed that some of the ants are going towards the moist sand.

what can i do????

ta

[damondeionno]

Well ideally the soil should be uniformly damp, but not waterlogged. Be very careful when you add water, as the volume of most formicaria is a lot less than you realise and it is possible to drown the ants - they generallly recover, but if you only have a queen and a couple of workers it is best to be safe. Are the ants on the surface of the sand? If they are then that is not ideal. I would suggest that you use something to make a starter hole in the sand. Sometimes ants need to be given the idea to start digging. Do not make it too big. You only have one queen and a couple of workers, so they really don't need much space. If you can try and gently encourage the queen and workers to enter the hole, they will probably be much happier once they are there. Make sure it's in the damp part of the soil.

[stevendunn2003]

yes they have got a hole, its quite dry, the queen dosent seem to be doing much tho, she hasnt layed any eggs.

ill make another hole where it is damp, but it dosent look like the queen is going anywere.

[damondeionno]

Ok - well if they're already in the hole, that's fine. try and make the soil where they are a little damp - just be careful. It is quite late in the year so I wouldn't expect a lot of activity anyway. just make sure the food is nearby the hole they are in and be patient. Ants are good survivors. It might make them more settled if you keep the shield the little hole where they are living from the light through the sides of the formicarium. You can always remove it to see how they are doing. Good luck

[stevendunn2003]

thanks mate, big help, ill put a few leaves around the hole maybe,
so do you think the queen will start again and lay new eggs?

[damondeionno]

Yeah i think the queen will start laying again - assuming the workers feed.

In my experience of keeping lasius niger, they do hibernate for winter even when kept indoors, so you might not get much activity until spring. Just make sure that they do not dry out and put the odd bit of food in to see if you get a response. Also - in spring you can follow the suggestion on the other thread about boosting the colony with some niger pupae from an outside colony.