Hi (a)enthusiastics
Apologies if this is not the right place to post or if this problem has been mentioned in the past somewhere else, I couldn't find anything on the forum.
I've got a colony of (what I identified as, but not so sure) Lasius niger. The colony will be 2 years old in September.
I've noticed that from time to time, workers take larva (or what I identify as larva) out of the nest.
They walk around with the larva, sometimes dropping it and leaving it, sometimes taking it back to the nest.
If the larva is dropped, sometimes another worker will take it back to the nest.
The walk usually consist of a tour around the basin, most often going close to the lighting.
The larva seem dead, I can see small brown patches one one extremity of it.
Some seem to be a little bit deformed, flatter at one end,
I feed them regularly with insects, fruit and honey. The moisture is between 70 to 80%, temperature around 20.
My first question are:
1. Is this a sign of disease?
2. Do I need to collect and dispose of these?
I attach some pictures, many thanks for your explanations and help.
I've got a video, but it is too big for the forum.