ANTSTORE World of Ants

[spudplank]

I don't Know if anyone can help me?

My brother, Spook, asked you all some questions at the end of last year in preparation for getting me a Lasius Niger Queen and a starter colony. You all kindly helped him and I wondered if you might know the answer to this question.

They sealed themselves up in their test-tube in order to hibernate, and I left them in the display case, in a box, with a towel over it. Today was hot, so I looked in the case.

The tube is still sealed up, and the 10-15 workers were moving around in it. The Queen however, is lying UPSIDE DOWN in the tube. She is moving her feelers and legs occasionally, but any attempts to put her up the right way end up with her on her back again. Should I be worried?
Is this normal? If it is not, is there anything I can do about it?
I have not broken the plug to the test tube that they made, but don't see how how can put her up the right way without doing so.

Sorry for asking about this, but I feel like a new father again, and I am getting highly worried! LOL.


Any Ideas?

Thanks for bearing with me,

James

[mpir]

Hi James!

You know, I was just wondering today about this guy "who got a colony from his brother and was writing to this forum before Christmas". Sorry to hear bad news. There is nothing wrong if they closed them selves up in the tube. When the colony is young they do this quite often to protect themselves from other ants.

I'm not sure if I can help you but I can say that this same thing happen to mine Lasius niger colony last year too. In a bit different order. After a few months when colony was about 12 workers strong I noticed that one of the ants in the tube was acting funny. She was lying upside down and it looked like she was moving her legs uncontrolable every now and then. The next day almost all workers were showing the same simptoms. The third day also the queen. They all died. I still don't know what hit them. But this kind of things happen. Disease, survival of the fitest... it's all part of the show.
Don't give up. Buy/find another queen/colony and enjoy antbreeding. In summer Lasius niger queens are very easy to find outside, and they are quite cheep in all ant shops.

I hope your ants make it. Good luck

[spudplank]

Thanks for this mpir, I had a suspicion that this might be the case. Time will tell. As you say, these colonies are not hard to get hold of, it just would have been nice to be successful with my first colony.

What species do you keep? and how do other people take it when you tell them that you keep Ants?
Most people laugh when I tell them, but quite a few never realised that you could keep them.

Thanks again, I'll keep you posted.

James

[mpir]

Hi James,

... nice to hear you are not giving up. At the moment I only have colony of Messor barbarus and they are in hibernation. They are south European species so they need a bit more warmth to get them started. I'll get Myrmica rubra soon and one of the Leptothorax/Temnothorax species. For summer a frind of mine promissed me a Pheidole pallidudla, and if I'll have some space left I might get some Camponotus.

To be honest... I don't care what people say. I say it's my hobby and that ants are very interesting and fun to observe and I don't really care if they laugh or think that I'm stupid. It is tipical that people laugh at somehing they don't understand. Like they probably laughed when somebody said that the Earth is round and not flat like a pancake. And it is true what you said: not a lot of people know that you can actually keep ants at home.

[JimmyVe]

Hi James and welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry to here that your queen is not doing well. Don't beat yourself up, try again and I'm sure it will work. Most of the times there is nothing you can do. (like mpir sad, if they have a disease)
I hope the next time it will work out okay.
Keep in touch with other ant keepers, you can learn a lot. And wat other people think about it is not important. As long as you love doing it.

Greets Jimmy