ANTSTORE World of Ants

[ProXi]

When do you call a worker a major?
Because I have 2 big workers, but I have only about 50 workers total.

[bugsy]

Hi ProXi, post a picture if you can.

[ProXi]

Hello bugsy
I will make some in this weekend
En post it here.

[ProXi]

The big workers don't show themselfs anymore.
They are sitting in the nest with very big gaster.
So it isn't possible to make a photo/video of them.

[ProXi]

The big workers don't show themselfs anymore.
They are sitting in the nest with very big gaster.
So it isn't possible to make a photo/video of them.

[jbc]

Hi bugsy just wondering how is your C. lignipredus doing?

[bugsy]

Their doing fine thanks or about as fine as Ligniperda ever seem to do. There must be about 70 workers now with 30 larvae. The larvae are about 1 month old and are still small, smaller than they should be at this stage. Once they hatch I will expect the queen to lay 1 more batch. This batch probably wont survive hibernation as the colony will eat them going on last years experience. My newer workers are noticeably larger now with bigger gasters and longer legs, sign of the colony growing and getting stronger.
Whilst we all know Ligniperda are very slow to grow and I've had great success with mine to date compared to others I still find them frustrating when I compare their growth rate to my Camponotus Nigriceps. I bought a colony in January with 2 workers, 7 months on I have 60+ workers and 60+ brood in various stages of development.
To sum up I wouldn't recommend Ligniperda to anyone new to ant keeping or anyone young with little patience. I'm thinking next spring will trigger a mass of eggs and this is when the colony will start to grow large. 2 years is along time wait when you consider other species such as messor or lasius who in the first year lay may more eggs. I love my ligniperda and wouldn't give them up, but at the same time i wouldn't recommend them as a species to suit newbies from my experience.

[jbc]

Thanks for info.

Well I had a ligniperda colony, died from dusty stone dust.

But I have kept Lasius niger for 2 years but this year the queen isnt doing fine.

I ordered a C. lignperda queen + 51-100 workers, so I hope they will survive.

[DigiSERBIA]

My lasius niger is after a month an a half since i caught her outside so she had no brood to start with and now i have 6 workers allready D im so happy !! i have more nigers i have 12 niger queens in 10 tubes.... yea i know they will kill one of the queen but hey why not i get extra brood untill my other queen dies cheers

Pozdrav

[bugsy]

.

[jbc]

So my guess they are doing fine.

[ProXi]

Looks great.
I have started my Camponotus ligniperdus colony from one Queen and 2 workers, 2 years ago.
It;s hard to start with only a queen or such a small colony.
Now I only have about 40-50 workers, because of some difficulties.

It goes up and down with the colony.
They don't like changes in the set-up. Everytime when the set-up gets to small and I make some changes workers starting to die.
Especially when a new outworld has higher walls. I tried it many times and every time many workers starting to die.
Now I kep them in an outworld, which has walls nog bigger then 1 inch.
If the walls are bigger, the workers starting to get crazy. Running true the outworld without stopping and then they die when they have no energie left anymore.
Also they don't like Ytong. When they are in a Ytong nest they don't leave the nest. So I kep them in a testtubenest now connected to an outworld with low walls.

Mine aren't easy eaters too. They only except fruitflies very well and mosquitoes. They accept other insects very rare.
And sometimes they drink a lot of sugerwater so there asses are full. And then the don't drink for a long time at all.

What also is strange is that my colony allready has 2 workers which are around 2 - 3 times bigger then the smaller workers. I think they are majors.
Strange because the colony is still very small.

They seems also already gone into hybernation this week, while it's august now, in the middle of the summer.

So many strange things happen all the time with this colony of mine.

( hope you understand my english )

[jbc]

I can agree with your y-tong problem, mine too didnt like it.

My ants were only running wildly at the beginning when my let them in the arena, but yes they died a bit.

This is my second colony, first died, now I have 40 ants but had 57 when I received them 6 days ago.

Yes you have majors- I have like 5 but they arent doing pretty much just guarding the entrance and queen from enemies.

I suggest to try them to keep the in a humus nest mine are like all day digging in it.

Ok godd luck ProXi!

[bugsy]

I still believe that a y-tong is the way in which this species should be kept. The reason they dont leave your y-tong nest is because maybe they actually like it. 40 workers is still a small colony and you wont see that much activity. They are also known as sugar ants so dont be surprised if they accept more sugar water than insects. I have 4 workers that are permanently in the foraging area, that calculates out to be about 4.7% of the colony foraging at one time. Not much really, so it will be even less for you. Mine also went into hibernation about this time last year, then they came out early in Feb so I would worry, there is nothing you can do anyway. I also have larger workers but no majors, if they have larger heads then they are majors. Unusual for a colony so small.

[ProXi]

Do you keep the Ytongnest very moist or dry?

I'm trying to move them again into a small Ytong nest.

They where living in multiple testtubes.
I removed the tubes one by one.
There is only one tube left and they now live all together in one tube...

Any tips to make them move to the ytong.
I have covered the Ytong nest, so it is dark.
The testtube catches daylight.