Can you jumpstart a colony

[Hawkeye]

Hi All!

Let me start by saying I am not planning on doing this or think it is morally right. I am just curious about a hypothetical.

As some of you know I have been working on a paludarium for camponotus ligniperda a species that comes with mixed recommendations. One of the downsides being that being bigger ants, they take longer to develop (10 weeks from egg to ant) and after two years you could expect to have a maximum of 20-50 ants total.

Now I was wondering if you could actually jumpstart a colony, by taking eggs from other colonies or captured queens? (I got the idea from the thief ants) either adding them right at the start, or seeing as the queen produces eggs in batches, when she's not laying eggs?

And if you added them would they develop into additional nanites or worker ants? I am guessing that more ants (No matter which type) means more food being carried to the queen, but I assume she can only eat so much. In fact they might try to overfeed her? If there is such a thing for queens?

If they do become worker ants, does that mean it actually gave the colony an advantage?

Just curious how you guys think it would work.

[Camponotus]

I did it for my lasius colony and everything seems fine, you can't overfeed ants.

[Hawkeye]

I did it for my lasius colony and everything seems fine, you can't overfeed ants.

Thanks, I've read that these species are very prone to stress in the first stages and the queen is likely to eat her own eggs if she is disturbed And therefore deems her surroundings unsuitable to raise her brood.

[ooper01]

It's called brood boosting. I've never tried it, but I know many other have.

[Camponotus]

Don't put adult workers because they may attack queen for safety put coocons

[ooper01]

Don't put adult workers because they may attack queen for safety put coocons

Right, never add workers from one colony into another. There is no telling what might happen, but most likely they will fight. Brood boosting is about adding brood (eggs, larva) from one colony of the same species to another.