ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Kiam]

What would happen if i found some ghost ants in other Lasius flavus colonies and added it to my own will they accept them because they've just be born and might not have the scent off the other colony or would they kill them or just leave them there to die ??

[Skippy]

They could alive ,also they could die. When you want to import some new worker to your colony (pls dont doing it ,it is bad idea) ,better is get some cocoons. But like I wrote ,DONT DOING IT ,IT IS BAD IDEA. And pls ,no question "why" .

[Kiam]

lol alright then I wont

w00t I seen 2 ghost ants hatch today from my colony off Lasius flavus )

At start they cant walk and try to and slip then they end up walking but its hard lol and i should get some more in the next few days as theres about 70 cocoons with the black dot on them



Just one more question
When the cocoons hatch the empty cocoon is there right and will they put it in trash or eat it ?

[Skippy]

I think it depend only on sitiuation in colony. When is colony hungry ,sometimes they eat it ,but in a lot of times they keep it out of nest like dirt

[K Kris]

I think it depend only on sitiuation in colony. When is colony hungry ,sometimes they eat it ,but in a lot of times they keep it out of nest like dirt

I'm sorry skippy but I have to correct you there. The material that cocoons are made of is basically similar, if not identical to, plain silk. Ants cannot digest silk. I've never heard of a species that could. Cocoons do not get eaten and are always disposed.

[Kiam]

heh well I wonder where there moving the hatched ones....

[JimmyVe]

in deed, they put the empty cocoons on there trash pile.

Like Skippy said, don't put ghost ants into other colonies, they will be killed (probably) if you like to boost a colony (this is not necessary) you better take some cocoons.

[sithmaster676]

ghost ants can be placed into over colonies if they are less than an hour old as it takes a new born worker 1-2 hrs to recognize and adapt to the colonies scent so it is likely if the colony is very white then it is very possible
but the easiest method is just to add either larva or cocoons.
Sithmaster676

[Kale^^]

hehe, about the cocoon cases, my F.fusca colony's feeding area is filled with them.. I remove them as soon as i have good time.

[K Kris]

By the way I have a question. What are ghost ants supposed to be? Is this a new coinage of the English language - like a hobby-myrmecologist's word to refer to new-born workers?

In the English literature new-born workers are normally called callow ants, callow workers or just plainly callow(s).

[Skippy]

- yes ,they mean it like callow ant (these UK and USA names ... harvester ants ,leafcutter ants etc... hehe ) ... I dont know ,I always using "young worker"

[badman]

But like I wrote ,DONT DOING IT ,IT IS BAD IDEA. And pls ,no question "why

"

Why?


sorry.

[Skippy]

...because ... if is colony older ,it produce bigger and bigger workers and queen produce more and more eggs and if you´ll get cocoons of old colony into your young colony ,it looking bad (small young workers with old big workers ,it is not nature type colony) . By this system you´ll have many workers and a few of larvae,cocoons and eggs near it - and it also looking bad. It is good to make up colony by nature and dont make up colony bigger by this "plastic system". Of course - more workers ,more food and they can eat broods!

[king ant]

eh there a type of ant called polyergus or slaver ant they cant work so the slaver ants raid other nests to take eggs and coccoons to be raised by the other slaves to work the for slaver ants

[Skippy]

...yes ,it is specie specialized to this work ,for me is it parasit ant ,I had one colony in home and they need these slaver ants ,they dont know eat myself ,clean and feed larvae ... they only stay on one place in nest and keep rest. I got every second week some cocoons of Formica rufibrarbis there and if someone of polyergus looked out of nest and looked these cocoons outside ,he quickly went into nest to call army of polyergus ants and they came for all these cocoons. It was interesting to look ... but it is hard to keep this species. Colony with 3 queens died after 3 months