How large can a Lasius colony get?

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AntsDakota
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How large can a Lasius colony get?

Post: # 40849Post AntsDakota
Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:20 pm

I heard that they can get over 100,000 workers, and I really hope this is true, since I can find Lasius queens on mass, and I've always wanted to keep a large colony like that.
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antnest8
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Re: How large can a Lasius colony get?

Post: # 40853Post antnest8
Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:29 pm

actually i just looked for some answers and found that most lasius Niger colonies are 7,000 workers but in captivity they can get up to 40,000. of course lasius Niger is not in america so other species could be different. even then i can't find info on lasius neoniger so maybe you could find out if you can get a colony. also i think i might have over estimated on the other post. still 40,000 is a lot of ants.
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Batspiderfish
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Re: How large can a Lasius colony get?

Post: # 40858Post Batspiderfish
Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:34 pm

Just as an addendum to my comments about Lasius niger: it is present in North America, but it is so isolated and uncommon that hobbyists never find them. Most people don't know how to identify Lasius and assume that every dark species is L. niger.
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AntsDakota
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Re: How large can a Lasius colony get?

Post: # 40984Post AntsDakota
Fri Jul 13, 2018 12:24 pm

antnest8 wrote:
Thu Jul 12, 2018 1:29 pm
actually i just looked for some answers and found that most lasius Niger colonies are 7,000 workers but in captivity they can get up to 40,000. of course lasius Niger is not in america so other species could be different. even then i can't find info on lasius neoniger so maybe you could find out if you can get a colony. also i think i might have over estimated on the other post. still 40,000 is a lot of ants.

I heard that Lasius flavus can get just as large or larger than Lasius niger, and I have 2 queens with pupae (last time I checked). So I hope they get just as big. Also, How large can Lasius social parasites get?
"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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Re: How large can a Lasius colony get?

Post: # 41172Post ClashOwenBash
Sun Jul 15, 2018 2:54 am

I've kept both before and for me they both can get to equal sized colonies. However L.Flavus grow at a slower rate and can seem lazy with thier slower movements.
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