Lasius niger colony seems to be not growing at all

[Articor]

I just got a lasius niger colony exactly a month and a half ago, and the queen came with a sizeable amount of around 40 workers. However, I've seen no growth in the colony. They have a large enough brood pile, a dozen or two larvae and a decent pile of eggs. However in this month and a half I've seen no growth whatsoever in the larvae. The queen is laying new eggs, however the larvae appear to be the exact same they were a month and a half ago. I've seen no evidence of colony growth and no empty cocoons anywhere. It's also worth mentioning an ant died due to an error on my part. Therefore I'm assuming the colony is now down workers than when I got them months ago. The larvae appear to just not be hatching. I have been feeding them properly, with protein, water and sugar. Does anyone know why the colony is not growing? Or is it normal for lasius niger workers to spend a really long time in the larvae stage? (keep in mind I do not know if they were hibernated properly beforehand as I just got them)

[SolenopsisKeeper]

I just got a lasius niger colony exactly a month and a half ago, and the queen came with a sizeable amount of around 40 workers. However, I've seen no growth in the colony. They have a large enough brood pile, a dozen or two larvae and a decent pile of eggs. However in this month and a half I've seen no growth whatsoever in the larvae. The queen is laying new eggs, however the larvae appear to be the exact same they were a month and a half ago. I've seen no evidence of colony growth and no empty cocoons anywhere. It's also worth mentioning an ant died due to an error on my part. Therefore I'm assuming the colony is now down workers than when I got them months ago. The larvae appear to just not be hatching. I have been feeding them properly, with protein, water and sugar. Does anyone know why the colony is not growing? Or is it normal for lasius niger workers to spend a really long time in the larvae stage? (keep in mind I do not know if they were hibernated properly beforehand as I just got them)

Are you heating the tube? Heat can kill some species larvae and kill eggs(If too hot). Also, I have heard these ants grow slower than other species of ants, going from a queen to 100 workers in a year.

[Articor]

I'm not heating the tube, my room is room temperature at all times, I have heard that it takes a while so maybe I just have to be patient

[SolenopsisKeeper]

I'm not heating the tube, my room is room temperature at all times, I have heard that it takes a while so maybe I just have to be patient

If you don’t see any brood, and workers start to decline, let us know!

[Articor]

So it's been about a month and a half and I have noticed a few larvae have pupated and turned into adult ants, and a few more larvae have darkened, however the thing I'm interested in now is why there has been a very large egg pile building up, however none of them are hatching into larvae. I've googled how long it takes for Lasius Niger eggs to develop, however I got alot of conflicting results, some say a month to a month and a half, while others say 2 to 3 weeks, I was wondering if anyone had some knowledge on how long they take to hatch, and if it depends on anything. It's hard to see exactly how many eggs there are, but there are over a few dozen at least

[SolenopsisKeeper]

So it's been about a month and a half and I have noticed a few larvae have pupated and turned into adult ants, and a few more larvae have darkened, however the thing I'm interested in now is why there has been a very large egg pile building up, however none of them are hatching into larvae. I've googled how long it takes for Lasius Niger eggs to develop, however I got alot of conflicting results, some say a month to a month and a half, while others say 2 to 3 weeks, I was wondering if anyone had some knowledge on how long they take to hatch, and if it depends on anything. It's hard to see exactly how many eggs there are, but there are over a few dozen at least

I started typing much faster after I read “if it depends on anything”. Humidity, temperature, food provided, workers, size of workers, and more can affect it. Nantics will develop significantly faster, and real workers will develop about 25% longer(in my Camponotus). It can be up to 6 weeks for eggs to hatch, but it should be around 4 weeks.

[antperson24]

So it's been about a month and a half and I have noticed a few larvae have pupated and turned into adult ants, and a few more larvae have darkened, however the thing I'm interested in now is why there has been a very large egg pile building up, however none of them are hatching into larvae. I've googled how long it takes for Lasius Niger eggs to develop, however I got alot of conflicting results, some say a month to a month and a half, while others say 2 to 3 weeks, I was wondering if anyone had some knowledge on how long they take to hatch, and if it depends on anything. It's hard to see exactly how many eggs there are, but there are over a few dozen at least

I started typing much faster after I read “if it depends on anything”. Humidity, temperature, food provided, workers, size of workers, and more can affect it. Nantics will develop significantly faster, and real workers will develop about 25% longer(in my Camponotus). It can be up to 6 weeks for eggs to hatch, but it should be around 4 weeks.

When you say egg to hatch do you mean egg to hatch into worker?

[Articor]

I mean when the eggs hatch into larvae

[Articor]

So it's been about a month and a half and I have noticed a few larvae have pupated and turned into adult ants, and a few more larvae have darkened, however the thing I'm interested in now is why there has been a very large egg pile building up, however none of them are hatching into larvae. I've googled how long it takes for Lasius Niger eggs to develop, however I got alot of conflicting results, some say a month to a month and a half, while others say 2 to 3 weeks, I was wondering if anyone had some knowledge on how long they take to hatch, and if it depends on anything. It's hard to see exactly how many eggs there are, but there are over a few dozen at least

I started typing much faster after I read “if it depends on anything”. Humidity, temperature, food provided, workers, size of workers, and more can affect it. Nantics will develop significantly faster, and real workers will develop about 25% longer(in my Camponotus). It can be up to 6 weeks for eggs to hatch, but it should be around 4 weeks.

Thanks for the feedback!