ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Teddiz_the_newbee]

Hi

I must have done something wrong with my ant as today when I checked on them the queen seems to be stone dead She had about 20-24 ants and have been doing well in her setup. She had several eggs and larva but they are still nesting in the tube in the setup. No ants have died just the queen and they are having a go at her in the tube but I can't see if they have been eating on her. She was fine last night. They have closed up the tube with sand with a small entrance in it and they did that the fist days they got put in the setup and they have been in the setup for 2 weeks. They have been well fed with both insects (frozen for about 2 hours before giving it to them) and honeywater. What can have gone wrong? temperature is about room temperature.

I am clueless but something must have gone wrong right? :/

I have a Messor barbarus queen who now have 5 workers and lots of eggs and larva that I really do not want to have meet the same fate I am making a beton nest for her while my Lasius niger queen was in a sandloam setup. What is the most easy to use?

Also Is there anything I can do for my Lasius niger colony? can a new queen be introduced?

Thanks for enduring my horde of questions

[Sojave]

hi, i try it in english.

Sorry to hear this.
You arent writing something about hibernation. Did they had one?
If they had enough honey/insects (only frozen insects? were they really used?), theres only a little chance, that this was the cause. The workers seems well, hm, then it was unlucky (queens could die even with a very stable colony), for example, she was ill. Could happen...

Where they disturbed often? A very strong Soundsystem? Normal Systems (PC, Radio ect) dont bother them normally. My Messors instead react on every doorvirbations. Tube entrance was managed by themselves, but the tube was covered with something to make it 100% dark?

edit: You can watch the colony until they die or set them free. Nature will do the rest or some antkeeper use boiling water to do it fast. Introducing a new queen is extreme difficult and not worth the try.

And about your other colony: I am using only sandloam as the nest. Its super easy, not heavy and very flexible for the colony to use. For greater colonies, you can combine them and put them over and over^^ You have to test it, but i recommend that your colony lives in the tube for some weeks longer. Dont know how big the tube is, but around 20 worker with seats should fit or not?

Messor barbarus queens seem to be less stressresistent than most other, especially and the beginning where she is alone, you can read this quite often and i think this too. Hm, very difficult, but feed them with small opened or prepared seats and small insects. The first worker arent strong enough for some.
They need extra water, save against drowning (wool ie). Mine never liked all kinds off honey.

I wish you luck and you have to make expiriences for yourself and then you get a feeling for the right amounts with the time.

[Teddiz_the_newbee]

Thank you for your reply!

I bought both my ants from the antstore and I got them on the first march so the have not been hibernating at all while in my care... Also I have been keeping my tubes dark while they grew but my Lasius niger tube that where in my setup had nothing covering it... she did not seem stressed but could that be the cause? The insects I collected outside (in sweden) and froze to death. Later I let them unfreze until they where room temperature then I fed it to the ants. Could it be that a parasite that only affects the queen got in with the insects?

Thank you so much for your replies I really feel that I am walking in the dark here!

I will keep a look out for a queen here in Sweden and try it again hopefully it will go better next time as I love the cute look of the Lasius niger workers