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Nathant's Lasius Social Parasite Journal (Updated 4/13/17) (Discontinued)

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#1 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted January 15 2017 - 6:07 AM

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12/15/2017

 

  I have never been more excited. I just took all of my Lasius queens out of hibernation a few days ago. It was a bit early and they only got just over two months, but I swear I'd go crazy if I waited a day longer. I will raise these colonies, my first ever colonies, to the best of my ability with my long-awaited task looming: To start a Social Parasite colony. It will be a rough ride, and it is no easy accomplishment, but I'm going to try it.

 

  Here are all my queens (no brood yet)

 

-9x Lasius (niger-group) sp/spp. (host)

-3x Lasius cf. umbratus (temporary social parasite)

-1x Lasius claviger  (temporary social parasite)

 

  I'm hoping to start catching Lasius interjectus (TSP) at the beginning of ant season. They are very early flyers for Lasius apparently. I will also be looking out for Lasius alienus (H) in the fall and summer. I think it is unlikely any of my queens are L. alienus, since I caught most of my queens on the beach, and L. alienus prefer forest habitats. More than likely, all of my host queens are L. neoniger (H). Another possibility is L. pallitarsis (H), but they also prefer a forest habitat.

 

  My plan is this: I will use the callow method for host introduction, with one of my host colonies in place of the host worker sample. Here it is from BatSpiderFish's "Much ado about the founding of Lasius temporary social parasites" topic (I highly suggest reading that if you don't know what Social Parasites are):

 

 

 

The callow method:

 
A small sample of host workers and a manageable number of pupae are kept in a test tube setup in such a way that a fine paintbrush or toothpick can reach all the way to the wet cotton bung. The queen(s) are kept in another test tube setup.
 
The worker's tube is given access to a small foraging arena so they may feed themselves.
 
As pupae mature, the host workers will open up the cocoons to eclose young, callow workers.
 
After a callow ecloses, very carefully and gently coax the callow onto your paintbrush or toothpick and remove her from her sisters. If any mature workers come with her, place those back in the tube.
 
The callow worker is introduced to the social parasite queen. There is unlikely to be any hostility. Offer a tiny sugar meal.
 
After the parasitic queen has a decent number of workers, boost the her with some more of the host's brood. The original adult host workers (that you did not introduce) can be released back to their colony, and the callow workers can take over brood care.
 
Pros:
This method has the potential to introduce a queen to a host sample without any casualties.
Callow workers are not aggressive, and will imprint upon the queen.
 
Cons:
It can take some time. If the social parasite species is prone to mysterious death, this can happen while the queen is alone in her tube. Make sure she gets the opportunity to feed, but keep the tube clean.
 

 

It can days, weeks, or months before your queen begins to lay her first eggs. There could be something going on behind the scenes during this time; for whatever reason, a parasitic queen with a usurped colony will not always begin laying straight away. Once she has her first egg, however, the most difficult phase of her life is basically over; it is a sign not only that she is fully accepted by her host workers but that she is adapted to captivity, in good health, and is finally ready to begin her colony. While there are still a few hurdles to overcome, you can now relax or celebrate. Since your queen already has a selection of host workers to keep her fed, she will begin to produce eggs to match the hypothetical age of the colony (a 50 host worker colony will cause her to lay eggs as if she is already about one year old, etc.) 
 
One thing that can be said for temporary social parasitism is that while a queen will get a huge amount of free labor, it isn't exactly of the best quality; it's a rather tumultuous time in the colony's life. During the early stages, host workers are rather aggressive, careless, or confused when they interact with members of the parasite species (and vice versa.) Brood of one species can be eaten or neglected by the other. Workers will be bullied and occasionally killed to be fed to the larvae. These behaviors may be an immunity response of the host species to the ants who parasitize them. Once the first parasite worker successfully matures, the situation usually changes for the better.

 

 

 

Like I said, the host worker sample will be one of my colonies. I will take callows from the colony as well as the brood for brood boosting. Instead of a formicarium for the hosts, I may just use a container with a bunch of test tubes in them so brood and callows are easily accessable.

 

   As of yesterday, none of my queens have brood but I'm expecting it any day now. Can't wait! I also gave every queen a drop of Sunburst Ant Nectar, slurped that stuff right down! I check on them every Saturday. Tough to resist checking on them but I manage somehow.

 

IMG_2488_zpskx0cjixd.jpg

 

   Lasius cf. umbratus gorging herself on some Sunburst. (another possibility is L. speculiventris (TSP)

 

IMG_2485_zpsmfqp9iro.jpg

 

  Lasius claviger basking on her cotton ball. She loves that thing.

 

IMG_2483_zpsfobpcfy8.jpg

 

  Lasius (niger-group) sp. also enjoying some Sunburst.

 

 

  This will be a very tedious journal. I may even capture on video the introduction if I manage to get hold of a better camera (that actually takes video and has a macro setting, for god sakes!  :lol: ) Thanks for reading, next update will be written at the minimum of next Saturday.


Edited by Nathant2131, May 9 2017 - 8:00 AM.

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#2 Offline antgenius123 - Posted January 15 2017 - 9:07 AM

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Good luck with the queens!


 
Currently own:
(1x) Camponotus Sp.
(1x) Pheidole aurivillii (?)
(1x) Monomorium Sp. (?)

Other

#3 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted January 15 2017 - 12:51 PM

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Good luck with the queens!


Thank you!

#4 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted January 15 2017 - 5:25 PM

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Update 12/15/2017

 

  I have started to realize what I have done, taking my queens out of hibernation so early. They were still a bit groggy, so I placed them on the cool basement floor a few minutes ago. Learn from your mistakes I guess. Cya till spring!


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#5 Offline noebl1 - Posted January 15 2017 - 6:44 PM

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It's not as far away as you think  :)  I saw my first L. Umbratus in April of last year.   The first one must have stowed away in a potted plant (which means she hibernated in the 60s), as I caught her in my plant area by the back windows inside.  Couple weeks later was seeing them outside looking for colonies.



#6 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted January 23 2017 - 3:58 PM

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Update 12/23/2017

 

   Believe it or not, I found an L. claviger queen under a rock a couple days ago, smack dab in the middle of winter. I find that species all the time during winter for some reason, and tend to find they always are under logs and rocks in very damp dirt. I test tubed her, gave her a drop of sunburst that she ignored, and placed her with the other queens in my basement.

 

  I also found an L. umbratus queen in some wood while I was searching for Isopods yesterday. I had no test tubes or anything on me, and the only vial I had was crawling with Isopods, so I let her go. I am always confused when I find social parasites in the winter, becuase the rocks or logs I find the queens in are ones that I flip almost every day, and it makes no sense that they would migrate over to a new place in the middle of Winter. They just sort of appear. Oh well, I'm not complaining.  :lol: 


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#7 Offline Batspiderfish - Posted January 23 2017 - 4:56 PM

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Lasius umbratus and Lasius claviger tend to overwinter before finding a host colony. They are quite cold-resistant and seem to use it to their advantage when infiltrating a host colony.


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If you've enjoyed using my expertise and identifications, please do not create undue ecological risk by releasing your ants. The environment which we keep our pet insects is alien and oftentimes unsanitary, so ensure that wild populations stay safe by giving your ants the best care you can manage for the rest of their lives, as we must do with any other pet.

 

Exotic ants are for those who think that vibrant diversity is something you need to pay money to see. It is illegal to transport live ants across state lines.

 

----

Black lives still matter.


#8 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted January 24 2017 - 5:48 AM

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Lasius umbratus and Lasius claviger tend to overwinter before finding a host colony. They are quite cold-resistant and seem to use it to their advantage when infiltrating a host colony.

   So will the time of host introduction affect affect how succesful it is? For example, is it ok to start introducing callows in the middle of summer, or should I do this around the time that the TSP queen would invade a colony in the wild?



#9 Offline Batspiderfish - Posted January 24 2017 - 6:02 AM

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Lasius umbratus and Lasius claviger tend to overwinter before finding a host colony. They are quite cold-resistant and seem to use it to their advantage when infiltrating a host colony.

   So will the time of host introduction affect affect how succesful it is? For example, is it ok to start introducing callows in the middle of summer, or should I do this around the time that the TSP queen would invade a colony in the wild?

 

You should be able to make the introduction whenever, but i don't think there have been enough successes with these social parasites to make that distinction.


If you've enjoyed using my expertise and identifications, please do not create undue ecological risk by releasing your ants. The environment which we keep our pet insects is alien and oftentimes unsanitary, so ensure that wild populations stay safe by giving your ants the best care you can manage for the rest of their lives, as we must do with any other pet.

 

Exotic ants are for those who think that vibrant diversity is something you need to pay money to see. It is illegal to transport live ants across state lines.

 

----

Black lives still matter.


#10 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted January 24 2017 - 6:28 AM

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Lasius umbratus and Lasius claviger tend to overwinter before finding a host colony. They are quite cold-resistant and seem to use it to their advantage when infiltrating a host colony.

   So will the time of host introduction affect affect how succesful it is? For example, is it ok to start introducing callows in the middle of summer, or should I do this around the time that the TSP queen would invade a colony in the wild?

 

You should be able to make the introduction whenever, but i don't think there have been enough successes with these social parasites to make that distinction.

 

   That was what I was afraid of. Thank you for the info!



#11 Offline Leo - Posted January 24 2017 - 4:36 PM

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cool, i always get umbaratus but never find any lasius niger  :lol:

 

therefore, all my other queens get to snack on lasius umbarartus queens 


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#12 Offline Batspiderfish - Posted January 24 2017 - 8:00 PM

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To clarify, nobody, to the best of my knowledge, has succeeded in raising Lasius claviger from a queen. This could just be that we've been ignorant and afraid of keeping social parasites for so long, or it maybe because Acanthomyops really are as misunderstood as the lack of successes would indicate. CanadianAnter seems to be making a good run at Lasius claviger, and I have two promising Lasius latipes with host colonies, so if these succeed, then I am tending towards the former of the two scenarios.

Lasius umbratus appears much, much easier to keep. At this point, their survival rate with me is like that of any other commonly-kept Lasius species.


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If you've enjoyed using my expertise and identifications, please do not create undue ecological risk by releasing your ants. The environment which we keep our pet insects is alien and oftentimes unsanitary, so ensure that wild populations stay safe by giving your ants the best care you can manage for the rest of their lives, as we must do with any other pet.

 

Exotic ants are for those who think that vibrant diversity is something you need to pay money to see. It is illegal to transport live ants across state lines.

 

----

Black lives still matter.


#13 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted January 25 2017 - 3:44 AM

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To clarify, nobody, to the best of my knowledge, has succeeded in raising Lasius claviger from a queen. This could just be that we've been ignorant and afraid of keeping social parasites for so long, or it maybe because Acanthomyops really are as misunderstood as the lack of successes would indicate. CanadianAnter seems to be making a good run at Lasius claviger, and I have two promising Lasius latipes with host colonies, so if these succeed, then I am tending towards the former of the two scenarios.Lasius umbratus appears much, much easier to keep. At this point, their survival rate with me is like that of any other commonly-kept Lasius species.


Interesting. I'll try umbratus introduction first.

#14 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted February 1 2017 - 3:13 PM

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Update 2/1/2017

 

  Checked on all my queens a few minutes ago. One niger-group species is dead, but other than that things look good. I am planning on taking my queens out of hibernation sometime in April. I'm also going to start numbering them so I know which one is which, for the sake of logs and organization.


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#15 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted February 14 2017 - 1:43 PM

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Update 2/12/2017

 

   I created a system to keep track of each queen without mixing them up. I rolled up some flashcards, wrote the "Colony Code" On them and slipped each test tube through each card. Here is the key for whenever I mention a colony's/queen's code:

 

-Colony 2017 001 is Lasius niger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 002 is Lasius niger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 003 is Lasius niger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 004 is Lasius niger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 005 is Lasius niger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 006 is Lasius niger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 007 is Lasius niger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 008 is Lasius niger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 009 is Lasius niger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 010 is Lasius umbratus-group sp.

-Colony 2017 011 is Lasius umbratus-group sp.

-Colony 2017 012 is Lasius umbratus-group sp.

-Colony 2017 013 is Lasius claviger-group sp.

-Colony 2017 014 is Lasius claviger-group sp.

 

  One Lasius niger-group queen kind of appeared out of nowhere. I suppose I miscounted. Everything is doing good and everything is alive and well. Here are the gang:

 

RfKOv9X.jpg

 

 

   I took some shots of one of my umbratus-group queens, but sillly me forgot what colony it was. I've really been improving with my photography:

 

BM4nXPF.jpg

 

xvklXtS.jpg

 

   I'm at a loss with Id'ing my Umbratus-group and niger-group queens, and I'm even starting to get a little iffy with my claviger. I might name them claviger-group for now. Until I get a microscope for a positive ID, these girls will stay identified down to the species-group level.

 

 


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#16 Offline VoidElecent - Posted February 14 2017 - 6:25 PM

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Fancy Labels  (y)  ;)


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#17 Offline Alabama Anter - Posted February 14 2017 - 8:03 PM

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Fancy Labels  (y)  ;)

Lol Agreed.


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YJK


#18 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted February 15 2017 - 3:37 AM

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Fancy Labels  (y)  ;)

Lol Agreed.

Fancy Labels  (y)  ;)

Lol Agreed.

Haha thanks.

#19 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted February 15 2017 - 5:32 PM

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Update 2/15/2017

 

  This isn't really much of an update, just some plans on the whole theme of hibernation and when/how they will get pulled from it.

 

  So after some thinking, It is confirmed that I will take out my ants on March 15, just a couple days over the four month mark. I have a heat cable at the ready, but I am not going to get right into things just yet. I will let my ants get used to the high-sixties temperature of my room for a few days and then provide the heat cable at the end of the test tube. I might not provide the cable for my social parasite queens becuase of their liking of cool temperatures. Pretty sure they don't need additional heating when they overwinter on the surface in the middle of snow, sometimes in negative temps, not to mention they seek host colonies so early in the year.

 

  I was told taking them out now would be fine, but I want to establish my patience as an ant keeper, which hasn't been doing so well as of late.



#20 Offline Nathant2131 - Posted February 25 2017 - 3:28 PM

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Update 2/25/17

 

   I checked all my queens a few days ago and they are doing well.

 

   I am yet again questioning hibernation. Both P. imparis and Tetramorium were quite active in the wild today since we have been experiencing a few days of warmth in MA. So, get this: I put my ants in hibernation November 7th or 8th, which was well before lots of ants slowed down. Then I had that abrupt little wake in January. And now it is February 25, and Tetramorium is active. This all adds up to 103 days of hibernation. What does everyone think? Should I take them out? This seems like the time they would naturally come out, which is 3 1/2 months.







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