ANTSTORE World of Ants

[JimmyVe]

I hope this time everything works out ok. Looks like she is doing fine. normally the first eggs will come out soon and then the workers take care off the queen.

[Varban]

Hey Jimmy,

Yeah I hope the first workers come soon, will be much more relaxed knowing there is someone to look after her. Somehow I am doubting her intellectual abilities at the moment. Of the 5 bigger bean shapped eggs which I asume are actually larvae, since i've seen the small size of her eggs and eggs don't grow, one went missing. Dissapointed i assumed she ate it, ignoring again the abundance of food outside ...
To my dismay I saw that the larvae has been used as building materia to seal the entrace of the tube :S. Pretty strange if you ask me.
I immediatly pierced the seal and pushed the little fella inside, bit she doesn't want it. She picked it up and moved it outside and is sealing the tube again as we speak. Strange, only thing that comes to mind is the larvae is dead and she is throwing it out but then why not eat it will make me more happier.

[JimmyVe]

Yes it could be that the larva dead.
If she doesn't come out to eat you can try to put a little bit of food in the tube. Normally she keep herself alive. if you have larva already the workers will come soon.

Good luck

[JimmyVe]

hi Varban,

how is your queen doing ?

[Varban]

Hey Jimmy,
Sorry for my time of absence. Well she is alive, but that's about it. The Larvaes are gone I assume eaten. All I have is eggs now sadly. It seems food is an issue . . . and it shouldn't. I decided since she doesn't come out I will remove her seal, cleaned all the dirt and put a cotton. That way it;s sealed and I can add food whenever. Since I did put food infront of the seal she didn't seem to come out.
I've put some fructose and seeds inside and hope she eats them ...

[JimmyVe]

i hope so to. i never had so much trouble with my queens... just luck i think.
You can do that, maybe that's not a bad idea. Hope everything works out ok.

[Varban]

I'd say i am doing something wrong or something. I there some special kind of seeds I need to give her? I thought the variety in the bird seeds will make at least some of them to be eatable by her. Oh well the lack of larvae will set me back a good while. I hope at least she will start eating other stuff than her brood ...

[JimmyVe]

I hope it to
I don't think you are doing something wrong, but it's hard to say, i don't see it from here you have to try with food till she takes some of it. maybe with fruit.
I'm getting out of idea's

Yesterday my colonie Lasius flavus arrived and i gave them some fruit and water. after a minute or two they already starts to eat from the fruits.
must say, it's a queen and about 20 workers. Maybe its easy'er then starting with the queen alone.

[Varban]

Ive put a piece of apple in the tube maybe she will eat. Will try some strawberies or peach tomorrow lets hope it works!

[JimmyVe]

Good luck (i hope it to)

[FLechdrop]

Love your writing!
Queens usually live off their wing muscles during colony founding, therefore she probably doesn't need (much) food.
I suspect that there probably will be no interest in seeds until there are some workers to collect and take care of them.
By the way: it is natural and not bad that she seals of the entrance until there are a couple of workers ready to forage.

[JimmyVe]

Normally not but the first queen he had died. maybe just unlucky.
hope this time its going to be ok.

[Varban]

Hey FLech,
Really happy you enjoy my writting. Originally it was all going to be in a fiction style, but as you can see it has drifted a bit into a more narrative mode at least until i get things sorted.
The seeds news comes as a shock, at least i know why she ate the larvae ... Let's hope that things are fine now. The apple should provide plenty of food!
I knew about the muscle wings but as far as I know queens from antstore are about half a year old already so I doubt there is anything left of those muscles ...

[FLechdrop]

If you can read a bit of German, have a look here:
http://ameisenhaltung.de/forum/thread.php?threadid=146
It is excellent! There is also a bit specifically about queens about halfway down the page.

[Varban]

Hmm tried to use one of those online translator thingies with not much success :S Would it be possible to translate the queen part if you have some time or give me the gist of it?