What Species??

[danielw]

Hi Guys,

This is one of my sons ants. She has 3 workers and a good amount of brood. Anyone know what species she is?

She is 8mm long.

Thanks.

[bugging3out]

Hi. She is definitely a lasius species. But I don’t know which. I will look into it. Give me time.
Until then, bugging out.

[bugging3out]

Please tell me if this queen layed her own eggs and went through the whole founding stage. Then I can identify he species. Or did she get host workers and then lay her own eggs?
If not can’t help.

[danielw]

Hi thanks for the replies.

She laid her own eggs. Raised her own nanitics.

[danielw]

And yes gone through the whole founding stage.

[bugging3out]

Okay I will look into it

[bugging3out]

Okay so I looked into it. She is a lasius niger queen.

She may not be fat in the stomach, but her and her workers are jet black. And the workers are medium. And I have a lasius niger queen who looks exactly like that. But yours is a little bit skinnier.
Probably going to need to feed that queen up, get her fat.
The fatter she is the more eggs she will lay.
Good luck with that colony!
Keep me updated on her.
Just curious.

[danielw]

Thanks for the info.

I thought this queen I had was a lasius niger, she is much bigger than the one you say is a niger.

She measures around 15mm. So is this not a Niger??

She also laid her own eggs and is going through founding. No workers yet but a healthy pile of larvae and pupa.

[bugging3out]

It is because the one that you posted that is skinny is smaller because she is very skinny. They are both nigers but one is skinnier.

[bugging3out]

Or mabye I am wrong. When the fat queen gets her first workers compare the two colonies. If the workers are the same they are the same species.
Keep me updated.