Lasius umbratus queens

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AntThug420
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Lasius umbratus queens

Post: # 34716Post AntThug420
Fri Mar 30, 2018 12:00 pm

can Lasius umbratus queens be together in a colony ? :?:

PTasker15
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Re: Lasius umbratus queens

Post: # 34719Post PTasker15
Fri Mar 30, 2018 12:45 pm

No.Parasetic Ant Queens Have...Problems Together
Keeping ants for 6 years now.

Current Species: Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Camponotus decipiens,Camponotus snellingi Solenopsis invicta,Nylanderia sp,Brachmyrmex patagonicus,Pheidole obscurothorax,Pheidole moerens,Pachycondyla harpax

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antnest8
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Re: Lasius umbratus queens

Post: # 34723Post antnest8
Fri Mar 30, 2018 1:48 pm

PTasker15 wrote:
Fri Mar 30, 2018 12:45 pm
No.Parasetic Ant Queens Have...Problems Together
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Some of My Informative Sheets
https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=19099
Includes :
  • Ant Care Sheets
    Queen Hunting
    How To Identify Ants
Goal is to become #2 poster on the forum

PTasker15
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Location: Houston,TX

Re: Lasius umbratus queens

Post: # 34738Post PTasker15
Sat Mar 31, 2018 1:00 pm

antnest8 wrote:
Fri Mar 30, 2018 1:48 pm
PTasker15 wrote:
Fri Mar 30, 2018 12:45 pm
No.Parasetic Ant Queens Have...Problems Together
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Lol Its True. They'll Just Kill Each-Other
Keeping ants for 6 years now.

Current Species: Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Camponotus decipiens,Camponotus snellingi Solenopsis invicta,Nylanderia sp,Brachmyrmex patagonicus,Pheidole obscurothorax,Pheidole moerens,Pachycondyla harpax

AntsDakota
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Re: Lasius umbratus queens

Post: # 34751Post AntsDakota
Sat Mar 31, 2018 6:26 pm

From my experience, you can put several non-parasitic Lasius queens together and they will get along fine. They will groom each other, and huddle in groups. Lasius neoniger and Lasius alienus are a lot more common than Lasius umbratus, and they're non-parasitic too. So look for their queens in August. Lasius neoniger is known as the Labor Day ant, because they fly on or near Labor Day.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

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antnest8
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Re: Lasius umbratus queens

Post: # 34757Post antnest8
Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:23 pm

AntsDakota wrote:
Sat Mar 31, 2018 6:26 pm
From my experience, you can put several non-parasitic Lasius queens together and they will get along fine. They will groom each other, and huddle in groups. Lasius neoniger and Lasius alienus are a lot more common than Lasius umbratus, and they're non-parasitic too. So look for their queens in August. Lasius neoniger is known as the Labor Day ant, because they fly on or near Labor Day.
i haven't heard of lasius being polygenous. when did you get this experience, did this work out long term, is the colony still alive? i've heard of them getting along in the founding stage but after the queens will fight leaving all but one dead and the one still alive injured and likely to die later on.
Some of My Informative Sheets
https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=19099
Includes :
  • Ant Care Sheets
    Queen Hunting
    How To Identify Ants
Goal is to become #2 poster on the forum

AntsDakota
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Location: South Dakota

Re: Lasius umbratus queens

Post: # 34916Post AntsDakota
Sat Apr 07, 2018 5:19 pm

Last fall I caught about 50 Lasius queens with a net while in flight. I kept them in a container until I could separate them because I heard of Lasius being monogylous and was concerned. Unfortunately, those queens all died. I raised one sucessful Lasius alienus colony, but it only had one queen. That colony died too. I didn't get from the test tube settup that the water should be seeping through the cotton. I left the cotton in contact with the queen dry. Some queens tried to dig to get to the water. So they probably died of thirst. I tried putting several Lasius queens in a test tube and they got along fine the whole way until they died of thirst. And the queen that sucessfully raised a colony was in a dirt setup. Check the internet for Lasius and you will find pictures of Lasius colonies with workers and multiple queens.
But now I know better and will try again with Formica argentea queens (one of the most common ants in South Dakota). I found about three or four queens wandering my driveway after nuptial flights last summer. They all layed eggs, and raised them into pupae, and then got stressed and ate their brood. They repeated this until they all died. (They were in dirt as well.) Wild Formica argentea workers are now starting to emerge from colonies around town. :D
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

AntsDakota
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Location: South Dakota

Re: Lasius umbratus queens

Post: # 36562Post AntsDakota
Wed May 30, 2018 6:12 pm

antnest8 wrote:
Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:23 pm
AntsDakota wrote:
Sat Mar 31, 2018 6:26 pm
From my experience, you can put several non-parasitic Lasius queens together and they will get along fine. They will groom each other, and huddle in groups. Lasius neoniger and Lasius alienus are a lot more common than Lasius umbratus, and they're non-parasitic too. So look for their queens in August. Lasius neoniger is known as the Labor Day ant, because they fly on or near Labor Day.
i haven't heard of lasius being polygenous. when did you get this experience, did this work out long term, is the colony still alive? i've heard of them getting along in the founding stage but after the queens will fight leaving all but one dead and the one still alive injured and likely to die later on.
I am keeping 2 Lasius flavus queens in a test tube together and they are not fighting. They layed about 30 eggs and prefer to stick very close to each other, and are very social towards each other. So I think that this colony may survive long term.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

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Batspiderfish
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Re: Lasius umbratus queens

Post: # 36567Post Batspiderfish
Wed May 30, 2018 7:19 pm

I kept two Lasius subumbratus queens together once. I introduced both of them to Lasius umbratus workers, and they got along fine until autumn. One queen was pushed to the outermost edge of the colony. The workers still took care of her, but only a small number were ever nearby. The dominant queen would thrust her gaster forward aggressively if the other came too close. I soon found the outcast dead.

Interestingly, I observed and filmed one of the two queens opening host a cocoon. It makes me wonder if the behavior had anything to do with the queen's status.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

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