ANTSTORE World of Ants

[cocodtim]

Heya i've got my ants (Lasius Niger) today so i'm very excited about them. I have one queen and i had one egg 15 min ago but now dissapearead - maybe the queen ate it. Hope it will be a healthy and long colony. I bought a little formicarium but i like them without sand or other so i left it empty and my queen is on an round arena and i have poured some sand there and filled it with water so queen won't panic ) . So any other advices for a beginner would be apreciated.

[KiamCameron]

I advise you what I do to other people that to leave your queen in test tube till she has around 10 or more workers.

[cocodtim]

she started making a wall out of sand

[Messorus]

If you wont put her to the test- tube, you will have problems with feeding her, she will make a hole and hide into, she will care her first eggs, but she will need a food, and you wont able feed her easyli when is she hided in her hole, so you will must destroy her hole- you will make her stressed and you would impaired her by diving.... Just in one true sentence- if you wont give her to the test- tube, your queen will on 89% die!
Kiam have really true, I agree with him, PUT HER TO THE TEST TUBE, IF YOU DON´T WANT TO LOST HER

[tail__]

Hey, Lasius niger queens don't need food. They only need humid and quiet hole. They also need some building material, to make walls and enclose themselves to feel secure and to keep moisture. And when the workers hatch, they will go out for food. I never used test tubes, I put all my queens directly into formicarium and they all were very well and did raise workers. So it is a bit silly to think test tube is something better, you know, natural queens don't use them I don't know when have you got this 89%, but it is 100% false.

[cocodtim]

wow thanks tail__ for clarifying me i was going to panic out when i saw that 89% can't wait for some workers to some hatch and see some action there

edit: so i don't need to pour in any food like insects or honey-water until the first worker is out?

[tail__]

Yes, they are typical claustral queens, they have enough supplies to survive even many months and raise first few workers. You can give some protein food to queen - this will make first batch of workers a bit more numerous - but one thing of what Messorus said is true - you should not stress her with damaging her cell, so it's better to leave her alone for these first weeks, only ensuring the nest's moisture.

[miszt]

the only reason to use a test tube for a new queen, is to be able to watch the colonies development in its early stages

[cocodtim]

well i didn't find any insects today i'll have a heavier search tommrow so i poured in some honey-water solution. She is happilly enjoying it!!! :D

[mzfckr]

i reccomend to buy mealworms or crickets at a pet shop

[miszt]

mealworms are very fatty, for a good healthy diet, I'd recomend you get both, if you are worried about them dieing before you use them all, freeze them

[mzfckr]

but have you can get cricets out of the box without them jumping out?

[KiamCameron]

Use tweezers just open it up a bit and they dont jump out I have only had a few locusts jump out of mine before buts its fine

[cocodtim]

well i gave her some protein food she lives in a tube cap and at first she had walls on a half of cap now she is tearing them off....what does that mean?

[cocodtim]

also anyone has a hotmail/yahoo address so that we can chat more easier if i have a problem or so? Please add me cocodtim@hotmail.com or timur_lenk92@yahoo.com .