Everything you need for a Lasius niger ant colony
This bundle contains everything you need to successfully get a Lasius niger colony through the first few months. It is flexibly expandable and explicitly suitable for beginners in ant keeping.
Ant species Lasius niger Lasius niger, also known as the “black trail ant”, is one of the most popular species for beginners in ant keeping. It is one of the small to medium-sized ants and is very frugal. It is widespread throughout Europe, but can also be found in Asia, Africa and North America.
Food for Lasius niger
In the wild, Lasius niger often keeps aphids in order to collect the honeydew produced from plant sap. In doing so, they protect them and even transport them to young shoots.
In the formicarium, you can simply place a few infested twigs (e.g. roses, elderberries, currants) in a vase and watch the animals milking them. In the formicarium it is best to give honey solution and protein food (either live small insects or dried protein food).
Hibernation in Lasius niger
Lasius niger hibernates between around the end of October and the end of March at 5-8 degrees. In the formicarium, you can simply place the entire formicarium in a cool room or (if the formicarium has a removable nest insert) place the nest insert in the refrigerator, for example. However, care should be taken to ensure that the ants are not exposed to temperatures below 0 degrees, as they are never as well protected from the cold in the formicarium as they are in the wild. There are also reports from keepers who keep Lasius niger without hibernation. However, this can lead to a shortened lifespan of the colony or slow down the development of the brood. During hibernation, the animals do not need to be fed or fed very little if necessary. However, you should check the humidity regularly and look out for mold!
1x ANTCUBE – Arena 20x20x20 – Combi M
1x Ant arena cover 20×20
4x Fixing point for arena cover
1x Ant arena frame 20×20
1x pad for formicariums – 20x20cm
2x grid insert – 50mm
2x grid insert – 27mm
1x ANTCUBE – Digfix plate 20×20 – M
1x soil – Sand-loam red – 200g
1x Foil thermometer display
1x drinking clear 5ml – sponge
1x drinking trough 2ml – 360 degrees
1x Feeding dish white rectangle – 3 compartments
1x Hand magnifier – 2x – 30mm
1x Transparent plastic tweezers
1x tweezer spring steel – wide – soft
1x Plastic pipette 3ml
1x ant escape protection oil 10ml
1x Foam wiper 150x18x2.5mm
No living ants, no food included
