Lasius sp yellow
🐜 Quick fact sheet: Yellow Lasius sp.
The "yellow garden ant", a subterranean species with golden reflections.
📋 In short
The yellow Lasius sp. (often Lasius flavus ) is a shy and fascinating species. Less active at the surface than the black version, it compensates with a superb coloration ranging from light yellow to orange-amber.
🌡️ Maintenance settings
- Nest temperature: 21°C to 25°C. It prefers gentle warmth. Excessive heat can be stressful for this subterranean species.
- Humidity: High. This is the critical point: it requires a very humid nest (60% to 90% of the surface) because it is sensitive to desiccation.
- Diapause (Wintering): Mandatory. From November to March, between 5°C and 10°C. Essential to respect its natural biological cycle.
🍴 Food
More selective than the black Lasius, it prefers small, regular inputs:
- Sweetened liquids: Honey water or syrups. She is very fond of them.
- Protein: Small, tender insects (midges, fruit flies). In nature, it feeds mainly on honeydew from root aphids.
📏 Morphology & Colony
| Size | Queen (7-9 mm) / Worker bees (2-4 mm) |
| Kind | Monogynous (sometimes initially presenting as false pleometrosis) |
| Population | Up to 10,000 individuals |
🏠 Recommended nest type
- Nests offering excellent moisture retention (plaster, reconstituted stone or well-insulated cellular concrete).
- She appreciates nests with low ceilings to feel safe.
⭐ Tips from "Fourmitures.fr"
- Light: Being a subterranean species, it is very sensitive to bright light. Keep the nest in darkness to prevent the brood from panicking.
- Patience: Its development is slightly slower than that of the black Lasius. Do not disturb it unnecessarily.
- Escape prevention: They are small! Check that your hunting area is watertight.
🔬 Did you know? (Underground Breeders)
Underground, it lives in symbiosis with root aphids, which it literally "farms" to consume their honeydew. This is why they are so yellow: they don't need dark pigments to protect themselves from the sun's UV rays!