ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Deluga]

Hello,

I have a huge problem.
My Lasius niger is dying, just lost 8 in 24 hours, and I don't know what happend.
My first colony died a few weeks after the Winther, bought some new in Antstore, and now they are also dying..
What can I do? Am i just unlucky, or doing something wrong? They have plenty of water..

Thats really suck, because I'm new... Hoping your guys can help.

[SigHunter]

enough sugarwater? small insects (mine prefer houseflys)? is the nest hydrated?

[Deluga]

Oh sorry, Should maybe have wrote that they are in a reagensglass.

Or does it even make a diffrence?

[GvG]

They should do good in a testtube. We need a bit more information.

What do you feed them?
How do you feed them?
How many workers are there?
Do they have an outworld? (can they go outside the tube, and if so, how do you keep them from escaping?)
Do you heat the tube?
Do you disturb them often? (do you pick up the tube often?)

[Deluga]

I only got told that they only needs water in a testtube.
There are about 15 now, +/- a few.
No they can't go outside.
No, I should be keeping away from sunlight.
No, sometimes I do it 1 time pr day, other days 2 or every second day.

EDIT: My testtube is beginning to run out of water, alctually there isn't for more than 2 days, can I move them, do they dont rundt out or?

[SigHunter]

can you offer them a hydrated nest so they can move? so you don't feed them anything except water?

[Deluga]

Like I said, someone told me they only needed water, nothing else like food in the testtube, and normally when you are noon you listen to what other people with experience tells you..

But I tried to give them a housefly as food, looks like it worked.

[SigHunter]

i think this is just valid for the starting phase which is claustral for Lasius niger.
but this is over since you already had about 20 individuals.
they also need something with honey or sugar for energy.

[GvG]

Agreed. Like SigHunter said, when a queen has no workers, she does not need food. She has enough bodyfat to lay eggs and raise a few workers. When the first workers are born they need food. Sugarwater for the workers and insects (protein) for the larvae.

No animal can live from just water alone, right?

[Deluga]

Ahh ok, I feel bad now....

So I should give sugarwater to the workers and insekt like houseflys larves?

Then new quetion, my testtube is beginning to run out of water i see, i have taped another testtube to it for hoping they will move to the with water and set the red folie to the new, will they move, when there is no water?

[GvG]

I would not tape testtubes together. You can lay them next to each other. When the ants think it is time to move, they will.

You put sugarwater and insects in the outworld, where the workers can find it. They will feed the larvae.

[Deluga]

So, instead I should place them next to each other in the outworld?

Or is it better just to let them get in the nest?

[GvG]

What nest? I would not let a weak small colony move to an Ytong or plaster nest. First let them recover. They need to be with more workers before they move to a bigger nest. Just put a fresh tube next to the old one. The will move if they need to.

[Deluga]

Ahh ok, I have put them in the outworld next to Each other, and feeding them ever 2. day, if that's fine?

[GvG]

Yes, that will be fine. A mosquito or fruitfly every 2 days. You can give some sugarwater in a "pillstrip" with a little cotton ball in it, so the ants do not drown. Keep the tube darkened with foil and try not to touch it. They need peace and quiet.

Shouldn't you have read some information before you started with these animals?