Invasive species, never release it. A single queen cannot found a colony: you need several queens with workers. No real hibernation.
Work out the amounts for your colony →Calculator opened with Linepithema humile (fourmi d'Argentine / Argentine ant) already selected: number of workers, brood, temperature. Free, no account.Calculator figures for moderate brood at 24 °C:
| WORKERS | PROTEIN | SUGAR |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 fruit fly · Every 5 days | 1 drop · Every 4 days |
| 50 | 4 fruit flies · Every 4 days | 3 drops · Every 3 days |
| 150 | 3 juvenile crickets · Every 3 days | 8 drops · Every 3 days |
| 400 | ½ medium cricket · Every 3 days | 21 drops · Every 3 days |
1 fruit fly ≈ a 2–3 mm insect; a medium cricket (1 cm) is about 50 fruit flies. 1 drop ≈ 0.05 mL.
Adjust to what you see: if food is left after 24 h, give less; if it all goes fast and the brood grows, give more.
No founding by a lone queen: colonies multiply by budding (one or more queens with workers).
No hibernation: keep it warm all year.
All species · Hibernation calculator
Work out the amounts for your colony →Calculator opened with Linepithema humile (fourmi d'Argentine / Argentine ant) already selected: number of workers, brood, temperature. Free, no account.