Update on my Linepithema Humile
Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 9:43 pm
I expanded their territories due to the amount of workers I now have. Its basically just tubing and connectors at the moment which seems fine for them currently. Its probably 4 feet or so of tubing in all with connectors and 2 outworlds. At the start I captured a queen and 4 workers in an establishing outpost under a piece of wood... she hadn't begun to lay eggs yet so likely they were still in search of a nesting area. The first 4 workers died so i used a test tube with honey to capture around 30 workers the next day. The day after that I went back to the large colony and captured around 200 or so eclosed pupae. There is still a very large amount of pupae and now around 100-150 workers. They have a tube full of honey which they've already half consumed. The queen has laid around 40 eggs but none have reached larva yet. They have been fed several flies, 2 crickets, 1 beetle thus far... however today they were given a likely rare treat. As i was in my yard today I found a mortally wounded cicada that had been attacked by a bird. It was missing a few legs, one wing and it gut was punctured. I scooped it up and used a knife to finish the job... if you ever purposely or accidently kill a cicada be prepared for the screeching... in my ant room the sound was crazy. Anyways they have been tearing into the gut of the cicada most of the day and i've noted that many ants are leaving the outworld with full social stomachs. I'm expecting this will cause a hefty laying of eggs from the queen. They are very easy to care for thus far.. also they like chicken lol.