Caught a Formica Fusca colony, what next?
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:58 pm
I was digging around for extremely young Formica Fusca colonies (because queen alates fly and hibernate in the fall and hibernate over winter before begining their colonies in the spring). I captured a queen, 7 workers, and about 15 brood (10 were larva, 5 were pupa by my count). They are currently in a test tube setup (I coaxed them to move into it of their own free will after I excavated their colony. They moved in, and I sealed it up after I was sure everybody was in. I've also noticed that since their move-in the queen laid a new batch of about 10 eggs.
Now, what I need:
1.) What is the ideal temperature to encourage growth in this species?
2.) I want a colony of at least a few hundre and no more than a few thousand (as that is the limit of what I am able to support), but I don't particularly want to wait 2-3 years to get there (i.e. My camponatus queen will apparently 2-3 take years to develop a mature colony). 1-2 years would be preferable -- is formica suitable for my desires?
3.) Will a generic baby powder barrier work to keep them contained/they aren't escape artists, right?
Now, what I need:
1.) What is the ideal temperature to encourage growth in this species?
2.) I want a colony of at least a few hundre and no more than a few thousand (as that is the limit of what I am able to support), but I don't particularly want to wait 2-3 years to get there (i.e. My camponatus queen will apparently 2-3 take years to develop a mature colony). 1-2 years would be preferable -- is formica suitable for my desires?
3.) Will a generic baby powder barrier work to keep them contained/they aren't escape artists, right?