<sod>While other Black Ants such as Lasius niger, the smaller but much more common (in the UK) species, a queen founds it's own nest by laying eggs and then feeding the new larvae with a fluid produced by breaking down it's own muscles; a process that leaves her terrible weak as she cannot tend the larvae and forage for food at the same time. A post-nuptial queen of Lasius fuliginosus cannot found her own nests, but establishes a nest through [[social parasitism (biology)|social parasitism]] in another species of the same genus - Lasius umbratus, a rare yellow ant with an underground habit (unlike the common yellow ant Lasius flavus which makes small mounds). She kills or ousts the existing queen and lays eggs, which the existing workers tend. Her offspring workers then slowly take over the nest. Lasius umbratis also establishes its nest in a similar way, by taking over the nest of Lasius Niger, so Lasius fuliginosus is sometimes referred to as a hyperparasite. <ref>[https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs-and-habitats/black-ant] Buglife 'The Black Ant'</ref><eod>
<sod>While other Black Ants such as Lasius niger, the smaller but much more common (in the UK) species, a queen founds it's own nest by laying eggs and then feeding the new larvae with a fluid produced by breaking down it's own muscles; a process that leaves her terrible weak as she cannot tend the larvae and forage for food at the same time. A post-nuptial queen of Lasius fuliginosus cannot found her own nests, but establishes a nest through [[social parasitism (biology)|social parasitism]] in another species of the same genus - [[Lasius umbratus]], a rare yellow ant with an underground habit (unlike the common yellow ant [[Lasius flavus]] which makes small mounds). She kills or ousts the existing queen and lays eggs, which the existing workers tend. Her offspring workers then slowly take over the nest. Lasius umbratis also establishes its nest in a similar way, by taking over the nest of [[Lasius Niger]], so Lasius fuliginosus is sometimes referred to as a [[hyperparasite]]. <ref>[https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs-and-habitats/black-ant] Buglife 'The Black Ant'</ref><eod>