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Red striped alien Ant

identification red stripes alien ant lasius strange

Best Answer Manitobant , July 14 2022 - 7:05 AM

Lasius niger. Really not sure why she is red though, were you feeding her red sugar water or something? Go to the full post


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7 replies to this topic

#1 Offline AntiMurial - Posted July 14 2022 - 3:23 AM

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Hello, 
two days ago I found an Ant that I thought was some normal Lasius species so I let her sit in a testtube setup. Now that I gave her a closer look and took pictures with my macro lense I don't know what to think anymore. I'm pretty new to this so I don't know if this color pattern is normal but I couldn't find anything similar when I googled it. 
Not only does she have these very red stripes and also kinda red eyes, but even her eggs are a bit red... 
 
I live in germany and caught her on a pretty hot day (27ºC).
Can someone please tell me what ant that is and if that's normal?

 

LZmGbNN

 

 

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#2 Offline Manitobant - Posted July 14 2022 - 7:05 AM   Best Answer

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Lasius niger. Really not sure why she is red though, were you feeding her red sugar water or something?
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#3 Offline ZTYguy - Posted July 14 2022 - 7:19 AM

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If she wasn’t fed any sugar water with red dye then it is probably a parasitic infection. I thought a load of my colonies had it but it was just that my dye was super bright and showed through everything. I figured it was the water because when I didn’t feed any sugar water with dye the cocoons were the typical coloration while when the water was dyed, the cocoons were the bright pinkish color that I’ve grown to love. Anyways, those are the two options. Only time will tell and there is basically nothing you can do if it is the infection. The queen might get workers and live or she might die tomorrow. After reading up on the infection, it doesn’t seem to be quite consistent in lethality.
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Ant Keeping Since June 2018
Currently Keeping:
A. versicolor, C. us-ca02, C. yogi, C. Vicinus, C. laevigatus, C. clarithorax, C. maritimus, C. ocreatus, M. mexicanus, M. placodops 01, V. andrei, V. pergandei, N. cockerelli, P. barbata, P. montanus

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M. romanei, M. placodops 02, P. imberbiculus, Polyergus sp., F. moki, A. megomatta, Cyphomyrmex sp.,Temnothorax sp.


#4 Offline AntiMurial - Posted July 14 2022 - 9:38 AM

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Lasius niger. Really not sure why she is red though, were you feeding her red sugar water or something?

 

If she wasn’t fed any sugar water with red dye then it is probably a parasitic infection. I thought a load of my colonies had it but it was just that my dye was super bright and showed through everything. I figured it was the water because when I didn’t feed any sugar water with dye the cocoons were the typical coloration while when the water was dyed, the cocoons were the bright pinkish color that I’ve grown to love. Anyways, those are the two options. Only time will tell and there is basically nothing you can do if it is the infection. The queen might get workers and live or she might die tomorrow. After reading up on the infection, it doesn’t seem to be quite consistent in lethality.

 

Thank you for your answer! And no, I didn't fed her at all. Just clean, undyed water in the testtube. That is such a weird infection then... that her brute and eyes get red too :/

Maybe she ate or drank something red before I caught her. I live in a city.

I will just give her some darkness and peace and lets see if she makes it 



#5 Offline Manitobant - Posted July 15 2022 - 6:56 AM

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Yeah this is really strange. I’ve never seen anything like it and ants eyes don’t normally change color.

Edited by Manitobant, July 15 2022 - 6:58 AM.

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#6 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 15 2022 - 6:58 AM

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Must be from an urban colony that had recently been feeding on some red drink spilled nearby.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#7 Offline NotAxo - Posted July 17 2022 - 8:28 AM

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Gaterade?

Has raised : Crematogaster cerasi, Camponotus compressus, Solenopsis

 

Am raising : Camponotus compressus, Diacamma rogosum  :yahoo: Yellow crazy ants  :yahoo: Crematogatser

Maruder ant, Camponotus sericeus

 

Enjoy anting,

     

              NotAxo

 

                  :D 


#8 Offline AntsTopia - Posted August 10 2022 - 8:05 AM

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This is cool. Make a journal so we can see If she has like red Niger workers. Wouldn't that be something.

Keeper of no ants currently. Recently moved out of a state. Don’t worry I’ll me back in no time with hundreds of colonies. I hope.  :*(






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