About the Queen

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The average Lasius neoniger queen ranges from dark brown to rough golden! The queens are usually rather stocky. This species is completely fully-claustral, meaning they shouldn't be fed until their first workers have hatched. ​

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Most queens of Lasius neoniger won't be very willing to begin laying eggs until after they've gone through hibernation (diapause). They tend to fly in August or September, and at that point they're better off waiting until spring in the wild. For this reason, we tend to only sell queens that have already gotten workers or that have already been diapaused in the spring. We don't want you to have to diapause a queen on her own!

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Lasius neoniger is typically monogynous, meaning queens shouldn't be combined in founding as they'll fight once workers arrive. 

About Growth

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Lasius neoniger have a reputation as slow-growing ants, but the truth is that they can grow rather quickly with warmth and close care! After diapause, a colony would usually reach 50-200 workers in their first year if kept nicely. In some cases, queens are able to exceed 1000 workers in their first year with intense feeding! 

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The egg-worker time for this species is a bit longer than some, which is largely made up for by the fact that they lay in larger egg batches. From the time eggs are laid, it's usually about 50-65 days until a worker hatches (depending on feeding and heating, of course). 

 

Temperature and Setup

 

The best temperature to keep a Lasius neoniger queen at is around 78°F. This seems to be the sweetspot, but it's recommended (especially as your colony gets workers and grows) that you add a small little area that's kept warmer, maybe via heat cable or heat mat. This area being in the 80s is useful for the ants as they can use it to incubate their pupae when they prefer. Give the ants a wide gradient of temperature, with some areas cooler (low 70s), most of the nest in the middle (about 78°F), and some little part a bit warmer. If you can't accomplish this, just get as close as you can!

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If your young colony or queen is in a test tube, never heat it near the water reservoir. Always touch the heat cable or heat mat to the very front of the test tube. That way, the ants have a gradient they can choose from to move closer or further from. If the ants are trying to get as far as possible from the heat, it may be too warm. ​

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Whatever nest you eventually move the colony into, as it grows, should be a nest with a solid humidity gradient. A LARGE section of the nest should be very high in humidity, with another part of it being a bit drier. It's a good idea, no matter the nest, to have a test tube setup attached or in the outworld in case of dehydration (and to offer a very high humidity environment, in case their current one isn't cutting it). 

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Lasius neoniger can be pretty sensitive about nests. They prefer to have a nest with a solid surface to grip (like plaster or hydrostone, or sanded surfaces). It's important they don't move into a huge nest before they're ready! They should fill at least 1/2 of the nest you're planning on moving them into! With nests that the ants dig in, this problem is largely solved. 

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​It's probably a good idea to keep these ants in the test tube for as long as you can. However, once you can't feed them in there anymore, upgrade them to an outworld. Make sure they can make their entrance a bit smaller than the width of the test tube, as often, these ants don't enjoy the feeling of their entire nest being wide open!

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Lasius neoniger does much better with a bit of sand or debris in their nest. Their pupae prefer to form cocoons, and without debris around to use as structure, they often pupate naked, which can cause higher brood mortality rates. 

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Feeding

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Lasius neoniger loves liquid sugars as its carbohydrate. It's a good idea to always make sure some of the workers have plump stomachs full of sugar! As the colony gets larger, offering them a liquid feeder wouldn't be such a bad idea. 

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Their favorite proteins tend to be soft-bodied, easily workable, small pieces of proteins. This could include feeders like fruit flies, termites, and even pieces of roaches or crickets. Mealworms can technically work pretty well, especially as the colony gets larger, but all of the other feeders seem to work better. Fruit flies are their all-time favorite! 

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A good combo for this species is switching between fruit flies and roaches. Roaches tend to provide a variety of nutrients and proteins, while fruit flies may be slightly less nutritious but are easily carried to the larvae to be eaten. Both are important. 

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Just make sure to remove uneaten protein within 16-24 hours to prevent the setup from growing mold or mites. 

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Lasius neoniger likes to be fed often! If you can, feed them small amounts every day or almost every day instead of large amounts once or twice a week. Scale up by watching what they take - if you give them 3 fruit flies and some sugars, and they take/eat all of them within a few hours, maybe offer more! This is how you can get them to grow quickly. The more food the queen has access to, the more eggs she may lay, which causes the colony to grow more and more over time.

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You can tell how full this species is by its gaster! If their gaster is plump and inflated, they're probably well-fed on sugars. If they're skinny, they need some food! I usually try to make sure at least 60-70% of the colony has plump gasters, so they never go hungry. Keeping that in mind, it could be good to make sure the workers have some space in their stomachs for protein, too. 

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Hibernation

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Lasius neoniger does need hibernation (diapause) and it cannot be skipped. It's recommended to hibernate them at around 37-40°F for at least 3 months (or maybe even 4). It's important that this species is diapaused thoroughly, as their development in the following year can depend on how long their diapause lasts. If you can, slowly cool them down to ease them into diapause mode. Give it a few weeks of cooler temperatures (ideally in the 50s or low 60s) and feed them less protein to signal to them it's time. The queen should slow egg-laying and the larvae will slow down and stop pupating. Ensure that before they're hibernated, the workers are full of sugar and the nest is hydrated. Ants still need moisture in diapause. Once they're finished with their diapause, similarly remove them and slowly begin to warm them up again, feeding protein and sugars once again.​

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To summarize: Keep your Lasius neoniger at around 78-80°F throughout most of the nest with a cooler gradient in some parts. Feed them liquid sugars and a combo of fruit flies and roaches, and feed them daily as much as they might accept for the fastest growth.

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If you're interested in getting specific help from antkeepers, see our Stateside Ants Discord server!

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If you want to purchase this species from us, check this page!

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