14 replies to this topic

[AUGUAG]

Hello again! We've had yet another warm week here in Roanoke and you can imagine my surprise when I found this little lady walking down the sidewalk. I almost passed her by, thinking she was a worker, but taking a closer look I could tell she was a queen. She has the general shape of many parasitic/semi claustral queens that I have seen, but I thought I would come over to the experts to see for certain! I could not get an underside shot of her because she absolutely refuses to leave the moist cotton, but I hope what I have is enough to get a general idea. Thanks in advance for the help!
 

1. Location (on a map) of collection: Suburbs of Roanoke, Virginia
2. Date of collection: 3/9/21
3. Habitat of collection: Sidewalk next to a school
4. Length (from head to gaster): Between 7 and 8 mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: Brown/reddish brown with light orange or brown legs; slightly hairy gaster
6. Distinguishing characteristics: N/A
7. Distinguishing behavior: Unable to climb up smooth plastic
8. Nest description: N/A

9. Nuptial flight time and date: N/A

 

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[NickAnter]

Lasius claviger. She will need hosts of another Lasius species to survive. And a test tube that isn't flooding.

[Chickalo]

I was gonna say it looked like a Lasius parasite due to it's smaller gaster and large head.  Try finding Lasius neoniger, I'm pretty sure that works fine.  https://www.formicul...ial-parasites/ <--- use this post as a guide with keeping her, it goes more indepth than I could in one post, goodluck (boy do I wish I had a Lasius parasite)

[ANTdrew]

Good ol’ Lasius claviger. Let her go.

[antsandmore]

Good ol’ Lasius claviger. Let her go.

out of curiosity, what is the reason to let her go?

[AUGUAG]

Never in a thousand years did I think I would be finding claviger in the middle of March. Thank you all for the info.
 

Good ol’ Lasius claviger. Let her go.

Not at all trying to be rude, just curious, but is there a specific reason I should let her go? Are they uncommon?

[Chickalo]

Never in a thousand years did I think I would be finding claviger in the middle of March. Thank you all for the info.
 

Good ol’ Lasius claviger. Let her go.

Not at all trying to be rude, just curious, but is there a specific reason I should let her go? Are they uncommon?

Probably just because she's a parasite, I've heard they're hard to start, but I'd try

[NickAnter]

You never win if you do not try I would give her a go if you can find host workers. And get the poor queen in a proper test tube...

[AUGUAG]

You never win if you do not try I would give her a go if you can find host workers. And get the poor queen in a proper test tube...

It's the only test tube I had on me at the time, and it was one that I had made a while ago. She's not swimming in it; she seems like she enjoys the moisture. Nonetheless, I'll get her into a better setup when I get home.

[ANTdrew]

These Lasius parasites come out in the millions right around now looking for host colonies. They take advantage of cooler weather to catch colonies while they’re dormant, which is pretty genius. I guess their abundance kind of breeds contempt in me. They are also challenging to get going and pretty boring even if you succeed. It’s the kind of ant I love *in the wild.*

Edited by ANTdrew, March 9 2021 - 2:00 PM.

[Kaelwizard]

You should feed her if you haven’t. Parasitic Lasius generally go for quantity or quality of their alates, so they are often underfed.

[AleeGuy]

It is lasius claviger. https://www.antwiki....rary_Parasitismhere is a chart that shows host slecies for certain temporary parasitic species, for clav's you can go with lasius americanus or neoniger(not sure which one will be better for her so it would be really helpful to get opinions/view points on which one will be better). The best way to introduce host species workers to a temporary parasitic queen is to get a few workers and a lot of brood from a host colony, care for them until brood hatches and then introduce freshly hatched workers to the queen. Or you can dunk olderly workers in vinegar so they would lost their odor/scent and then introduce them. In my opinion the first method would work out better but it's up to you. By the way, the optimal number of host workers is at least around 50 workers.

[NickAnter]

I imagine claviger workers would work just fine as well.

[Antcatcherpro3]

I've always tried to catch a lasius claviger but I never succeed.

[Kaelwizard]

I've always tried to catch a lasius claviger but I never succeed.

There are too many parasites here. I find L. aphidocola throughout the summer.