The AntsCanada Forum

I find mainly Lasius alienus and Formica podzolica here. Between the last week of July and the first two weeks of August, there are literally thousands of Lasius alienus queens around. Formica fly then too. There's Carpenter ants and Pavement ants as well but I am too nervous about keeping Carpenter...

Dubulba wrote:man I didn't think there would be ant keepers in victoria that's pretty awesome, I can't wait to go looking for some ants when they start flying

You'll probably have to wait till next year, nuptial flights are pretty much done here now.

I'm in Victoria. Those are Formica podzolica as Batspiderfish said. You won't see any eggs till next April. I have a small colony of these with a Queen I captured last year.

http://www.AntsCanada.com/ant-care/

This will answer a lot of your questions. Yes, around late October. A cold, dark room is good. Darkness is important! Unlike us, ants feel most comfortable in the dark!!

Ya, that was what I was debating as well. Thanks for the input.

Thank you for your response. Is it safe to change test tube to a new one, full with water? And, how warm/cold should I store it? Should I place it in the basement of my apartment building (where my "shed" is) or just room temperature? Moving queens is always risky as it stresses them but if your cu...

Hi all, I have a small Formica sp. colony currently in a Formica Hybrid Nest. They've made it their own; they've blocked off some chambers with sand. There is only about 15 workers. My question is would it be better to move them back into a test tube setup for hibernation? Or should I just leave the...

Batspiderfish wrote:Melanogaster flies always seem to work

Mine loved those.

You are correct, they don't keep brood over winter. Leave her in a test tube setup for hibernation. That's all she needs. Just make sure it doesn't run out of water. This is what I did and sure enough, the following April after taking her out of hibernation, she laid eggs.

Batspiderfish wrote:It seems slightly early in the year for this explanation, but Formica do no not hibernate with any brood. Maybe she is just done until next spring.

Ya, that was my theory too.