i will create a discussion topic in due course but feel free to comment here.
thursday 16th july 2009
i caught 3 Lasius queens and put them in seperate tubs with loam and water. i gave them both a little syrup each and left them for the night.
friday 17th july 2009 to monday 20th july
The 17th was the 1st time i have checked on them since getting them and found there to be one dead queen laying on the soaking cotton wool. the other two were fine but there cotton was mouldy so i replaced it. (is there anything wrong with her????)
The two colony's will from now on be different in the diary:
COlONY A:
The queen in this colony drinks for england and is almost allways on her cotton wool water, i noticed she likes to stay off the loam for the time being. On the 19th i fed her some syrup and new water. she loved the syrup and it was gone within hours.
COLONY B:
This queen is a bit odd, she never pays attention to the cotton wool water and i have never seen her or ever seen signs of her drinking, but she must be or she would be dying surely???. She stays in one place for the entire day hardly moving. i gave her some syrup which was ignored and then gave her a small fly which again was ignored.
thursday 23th july 2009 to friday 24th july 2009
COLONY A:
She is still the more adventurous and has now dug a hole down and created a chamber in the loam. i think i can see a few eggs but im not 100% sure. I left two little flies in her water cotton and some sugar water. On friday morning i checked and the sugar water looked untouched but the two flies had disappeared and after looking in the chamber i saw one of the flies pushed into the corner (could she be saving it for later on). she is thriving and she has now complety covered over the hole.
COLONY B:
She is still docile and doesent do much, she hasnt built a nest or touched the syrup, i have moved her into a slightly small tub and hope she will try to dig or even touch the water/food i put out.
