In March (around the 10th) I got my Lasius niger queen, bought from the Antstore. She had 13 workers and a few eggs. I also bought a starter pack and set up the farm and basin. After a few weeks the queen moved into a very small hole that the workers made. No eggs hatched but some were moved quite a few times to the nest and back to the test tube.
Since then the colony has not grown. I haven't seen any eggs hatch or new ants. I am unsure about the absolute number of workers since they remain in the hole or tunnels. They very rarely go into the basin. For workers have died and were left in the basin (4 months since I got them). The queen looks healthy.
Could it be that the queen is not fertilized? How are the ants from the Antstore mated?
I am feeding them insects (after a quick boil or spell in the microwave). Or sometimes fishflakes. The always have access to fresh water and honey water. I should mention that they were shipped during a cold spell to me (Sweden) and although the outside was quite cold the ants were active on arrival and did not seem to be affected too much (the test tube was wrapped in a few layers of newspaper).
Any suggestions on why the colony is not growing?