Old queen? 18/7/16 Glasgow, Scotland.

[MyrmidonDega]

One of my nuptial catches from two months ago laid and hatched two eggs, both of which seem to have turned into ants rather than nanitics. She is quite a bit larger, not quite as black as my other two Lasius Niger and with a slightly different shaped abdomen than the others as you can (Hopefully) see from the photo. The queen in question is the one on the bottom. I moved her too this clean tube 2 weeks ago in order to give her a little honey to see if it helped but she still hasn't laid any eggs.

She is roughly a little over 10-11mm, both of the laying Lasius Niger are 7mm atm. I thought maybe she might be a Lasius Fuliginosus. Any ides if she is a Lasius Niger or if this is sometimes normal? Any information is appreciated.

[Batspiderfish]

Your queen is from a different genus. She looks like Formica fusca. Lasius fuliginosus is a social parasite, would have been the same size as Lasius niger, and would have died without another colony's workers.

Those are still nanitics, but because this species is naturally larger and because the queen has a different founding strategy (raise 1-3 workers and keep no other brood over the winter), these workers probably dwarf Lasius niger.

[MyrmidonDega]

Your information is appreciated. I did a little research but did not find what I was looking for. Do you know by any chance if she will require Protein before going into hibernation? I suppose I should probably ask if all ants require it before hibernation really.

[Batspiderfish]

It's a good idea to feed them as soon as they get workers.