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I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2019 1:06 pm
by MissMusket
Hi everyone,
I got into ants a month or so ago, and was excited about catching my own now it's getting into nuptial flight season. I have a lot of Lasius Niger and Flavia nests in my garden, and some type of Myrmica at work. Last week, I saw my first queen, wandering around in the evening! I caught them, (one has wings), and have kept them in test tubes. I have found it very hard to ID them, since I'm pretty new at this, but they look unlike the other, more common ants I'm familiar with. I gave them some insect jelly to tide them over until I have them IDed.
They are very dark red/brown, with brighter red legs. They have a very wide, heart shaped head, and they are around 8mm long. I'm only including pics of the wingless queen, because I couldn't get good pics of the winged one, but I'm sure they are the same species.
If they are Umbratus, I'll release them, because I can't really take care of parasitic ants (what with not having any colonies at all!), but it would have been awesome to have caught an unusual ant anyway!
Re: I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2019 1:11 pm
by MissMusket
http://imgur.com/gallery/MCsXXxV
^pics, since my first attempt failed...
Re: I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Sat Jul 13, 2019 8:10 am
by Good2Know15
MissMusket wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2019 1:06 pm
Hi everyone,
I got into ants a month or so ago, and was excited about catching my own now it's getting into nuptial flight season. I have a lot of Lasius Niger and Flavia nests in my garden, and some type of Myrmica at work. Last week, I saw my first queen, wandering around in the evening! I caught them, (one has wings), and have kept them in test tubes. I have found it very hard to ID them, since I'm pretty new at this, but they look unlike the other, more common ants I'm familiar with. I gave them some insect jelly to tide them over until I have them IDed.
They are very dark red/brown, with brighter red legs. They have a very wide, heart shaped head, and they are around 8mm long. I'm only including pics of the wingless queen, because I couldn't get good pics of the winged one, but I'm sure they are the same species.
If they are Umbratus, I'll release them, because I can't really take care of parasitic ants (what with not having any colonies at all!), but it would have been awesome to have caught an unusual ant anyway!
Hello there, I'm not really sure if it's Lasius Umbratus or Lasius Speculiventris, because I've never kept them and don't see them that often here, but it looks to me like it is
You could be very lucky if you tried to brood boost your queen with Lasius Niger pupae and try to raise the colony, in which case I would say go for it. But if you don't have any experience raising social parasite queens, you can release them back into the wild (near an exisiting lasius sp. colony).
I suggest you to wait and see if other ant keepers response. Good luck!
Re: I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2019 4:50 am
by MissMusket
Good2Know15 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 13, 2019 8:10 am
Hello there, I'm not really sure if it's Lasius Umbratus or Lasius Speculiventris, because I've never kept them and don't see them that often here, but it looks to me like it is
You could be very lucky if you tried to brood boost your queen with Lasius Niger pupae and try to raise the colony, in which case I would say go for it. But if you don't have any experience raising social parasite queens, you can release them back into the wild (near an exisiting lasius sp. colony).
I suggest you to wait and see if other ant keepers response. Good luck!
Thank you! I'm guessing she is Umbratus then, because I don't think we have Sp. In the UK (from my brief googling)
If I had any other ants, I would definitely try to breed boost her! She's very cool. Since I've never kept ants before, I don't think I'd quite know what I was doing with her. I'll keep for for awhile, incase I do get a Lacius Niger colony set up, but I think I'll release the winged one.
Re: I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2019 2:40 pm
by ClashOwenBash
MissMusket wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2019 1:11 pm
http://imgur.com/gallery/MCsXXxV
^pics, since my first attempt failed...
Hi,
I can confirm with 99.999999999% certainty that that is Lasius Umbratus queen.
May I also ask for the general location of her capture as I am interested, I've been Ant-Keeping in the Uk for some time and have never come across a Lasius Umbratus queen yet.
But generally a parasitic queen are hard to found a colony, with even the very skilled ant-keepers as to get some workers to accept her is not for the faint hearted. Also she'll need food straight away if you have plans to keep her.
They'll be plenty of nuptial flights for common species such as Lasius Niger and Flavia which tend to make better starter species, and if your up for the challenge of a semi-claustral species myrmica rubra are always fun!
Good luck with your ambitions to become and ant-keeper!
Re: I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2019 12:43 am
by MissMusket
*** SPAM *** wrote: ↑Sun Jul 14, 2019 2:40 pm
MissMusket wrote: ↑Fri Jul 12, 2019 1:11 pm
http://imgur.com/gallery/MCsXXxV
^pics, since my first attempt failed...
Hi,
I can confirm with 99.999999999% certainty that that is Lasius Umbratus queen.
May I also ask for the general location of her capture as I am interested, I've been Ant-Keeping in the Uk for some time and have never come across a Lasius Umbratus queen yet.
But generally a parasitic queen are hard to found a colony, with even the very skilled ant-keepers as to get some workers to accept her is not for the faint hearted. Also she'll need food straight away if you have plans to keep her.
They'll be plenty of nuptial flights for common species such as Lasius Niger and Flavia which tend to make better starter species, and if your up for the challenge of a semi-claustral species myrmica rubra are always fun!
Good luck with your ambitions to become and ant-keeper!
Awesome! I have her in a test tube and semi claustral set up until I knew what to do with her - I plan to just have a go setting up another test tube with some Lasius Niger workers and brood (caught from a nest in our garden) and attaching it all together and... Finger crossed I guess!
I caught them at Pinewood Studios, Middlesex. Lots of lots of old, established pine trees. I actually caught them wandering around a myrmica nest, whilst on the look out for rubra queens xD
Re: I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2019 1:49 am
by ClashOwenBash
Good luck then, I'm sure with enough preparation you can do it. I was just checking location as Lasius Umbratus is supposedly only in southern England, so everything makes sense.
Re: I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:10 am
by MissMusket
*** SPAM *** wrote: ↑Mon Jul 15, 2019 1:49 am
Good luck then, I'm sure with enough preparation you can do it. I was just checking location as Lasius Umbratus is supposedly only in southern England, so everything makes sense.
So, good news! A couple of nights ago I got about 20 Lasius Niger brood from a nest in my garden, and two workers. I left them to it for 24 hours (in which time 4 callow workers hatched). I released the adult workers, introduced the Umbratus, and she took to the brood straight away! This morning I caught them all feeding one another, so I guess it worked! I'm just going to keep brood boosting with more lasius from the garden until I got a number where she's happiest to start laying herself! Thanks for you help
Re: I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Sun May 28, 2023 2:57 am
by QueenGertrude
I think that I have caught a Lasius umbaratus queen aswell. what should I do? should I get brood boosting online because there are basically no sources of brood around my area? do they accept workers? It is unlikly but I wish they did.
Re: I think I caught a Lasius Umbratus queen! UK, Early July
Posted: Sun May 28, 2023 6:25 am
by antperson24
QueenGertrude wrote: ↑Sun May 28, 2023 2:57 am
I think that I have caught a Lasius umbaratus queen aswell. what should I do? should I get brood boosting online because there are basically no sources of brood around my area? do they accept workers? It is unlikly but I wish they did.
Could you post a photo?