YM778.TV Chapter 127 - 122 New Bee Species i
Up to now, termites remained his strongest method and trump card.
With even a slight risk, he dared not use the Ant Queen for experimentation.
“Wow, finally a new worker ant with great strength attribute has emerged!”
Qin Niu looked at the ten new members and was surprised to find that one of them was a strong worker ant.
Although the probability of a strong termite appearing was somewhat low, it still made him very happy.
At least the strong termites could be produced.
“Since the probability of producing termites with the strong attribute by feeding them bear blood is so low, it should also be possible to enhance their strength attribute this way.”
Qin Niu’s gaze flickered as he seriously summarized his breeding experience.
After initially feeding them bear blood, five strong worker ants and two strong soldier ants had emerged.
The probability was frighteningly high.
Unfortunately, hunting down a bear was too difficult.
Because their numbers were very sparse.
He could only wait for future opportunities to conduct such experiments again.
Many insect breeding knowledge and experiences can only be explored and accumulated by the Insect Master on his own.
Currently, by using Banyan Tree Blood and ‘Thousand Eyes Tree’ Blood, he was able to evolve special worker ants into Grade Three termites.
At least that strong soldier ant had been successfully cultivated into a Grade Three termite by him.
Fourth was the same.
Those four Grade Two Green Scaled Giant worker ants should also have hope of being cultivated into Grade Three termites.
He hadn’t fed them ‘Thousand Eyes Tree’ Blood yet.
Because Qin Niu was still in the exploratory stage of this type of cultivation.
With the locust disaster at hand, his need for Grade Three ants increased.
Moreover, a new strong worker ant had emerged among the newly hatched termites, which alleviated many of his worries.
He immediately fed a sufficient amount of ‘Thousand Eyes Tree’ Blood to the four Grade Two Green Scaled Giant worker ants and then fed a sufficient amount of Banyan Tree Blood to the newly molted strong worker ant. He carried out batch cultivation with the other nine termites as well.
After handling that, he prepared to head to the beehive with Fourth and the Ant Queen.
“Master!”
Fourth conveyed to him in ant language.
“What’s up?”
“When we enter underneath that strange tree, perhaps we could try having the Ant Queen stay inside the nest. I should be able to sense the pheromones she releases.”
Fourth suggested to Qin Niu.
“Are you sure?”
Qin Niu was still somewhat concerned.
If they got trapped under the tree, it wouldn’t be a joke.
“It should be possible.”
It didn’t dare to be too certain.
Almost all beasts and insects had rather simple thought processes.
Even though Fourth possessed moderate intelligence, its way of thinking was still straightforward and clear.
This was a good thing.
Dealing with them was like communicating with a two- or three-year-old child, simple and direct, without worrying about any scheming on their part.
“Yesterday, when you took me down the mountain to exterminate insects, I could clearly sense the Ant Queen’s scent. If it’s a bit farther away, I can’t sense it.”
It based its judgment on this experience.
“Then let’s give it a try!”
Qin Niu decided to give it a go.
Because every time the Ant Queen left the nest, it indeed caused a lot of trouble.
The main responsibilities of the Ant Queen were laying eggs and releasing pheromones, soothing the whole ant colony and having them perform their duties properly.
For her to reside within the old nest was the safest, and it was also very beneficial for the stability of the ant colony.
This time, he set out with only Fourth and that Grade Three Tiger Striped Iron Armor Ghost Ant.
Arriving at the beehive, he calmly took out the bee-hunting tools from the basket, along with the Golden Ring Bumblebee he had caught yesterday.
Today, he specifically brought tools to potentially capture the entire swarm of bumblebees in one fell swoop.
Any beehive, once discovered by bumblebees, becomes extremely dangerous.
As the saying goes, “It’s not the theft that’s scary, but the thief’s intent.”
If a bumblebee finds a beehive, it’s bound to be pillaged sooner or later.
The best solution is to eliminate the danger in advance.
Perhaps sensing their master’s presence, several honeybees covered in green rings flew out.
They were noticeably larger than ordinary honeybees.
They were even bigger than the lazy, mating-prone drones.
Each one was robust in size.
Qin Niu counted, exactly eight in total.
This was great, the first batch of eight honeybees had finally completed their evolution.
“Come here!”
Qin Niu called out with delight, extending his right hand, and the eight honeybees obediently landed on it.
At the same time, ten newly emmerged honeybees crawled out of the nest.
But their wings hadn’t fully hardened or opened yet.
They couldn’t fly just yet.
This also meant that there were ten new honeybees available for him to cultivate.
Getting on the right track felt genuinely gratifying.
The bee colony would slowly undergo a generational change and become increasingly powerful.
Ordinary worker bees had a lifespan of just two to three months.
The lifespan of specially cultivated worker bees would increase significantly.
He examined the worker bees in his hand closely.
Their abdomen was originally striped with black and yellow rings.
Now the pattern had changed to black rings intermixed with light green ones.
Their legs too had changed noticeably, becoming thicker, especially the pollen baskets and brushes on the hind legs, which were more intricate and much larger.
That meant they could collect more pollen at once.
Their mandibles had also developed more, with a slight metallic sheen flickering on the tips.
That meant they now had greater combat capabilities.
The structures of their four wings were significantly thicker and sturdier, with wing membranes that seemed tougher and much thicker, indicating resilience.
It meant their flying ability had improved.
As for their tails’ poison stingers, they were clearly longer and thicker.
The venom sacs and muscles had also become larger and more robust.
They were filled with a frightening burst of power.
On the poison stingers, one could still see the barbs.
It was these barbs that caused the entire venom sac to detach when they stabbed an enemy and attempted to pull away, leading to their rapid death.
Bumblebees didn’t have this limitation.
They could sting enemies multiple times.
Qin Niu’s gaze swept over the eight newly cultivated worker bees, his heart brimming with joy.
He wondered if their combat strength could surpass that of the bumblebees.
He checked their attributes on the spot.
Grade Two Green Ring Worker Bees, 8 in total, lifespan 10.2 years, special abilities (Super Gathering, can efficiently and quickly collect pollen. Skilled Flight, possessing over five times the flying speed of ordinary honeybees, with more agile turns and rolls in the air. Paralyzing Venom, inflicts a paralyzing effect on enemies when stung, with duration depending on the enemy’s strength. Strong Gnawing, can tear through the bodies of enemies, with some armor-piercing effect on low-level exoskeletons.)
After reviewing the attributes of the newly cultivated worker bees, Qin Niu was extremely delighted.
These eight worker bees had made significant progress in both combat and honey gathering capabilities.
If nothing unexpected happened, the speed-grown honeybees he cultivated yesterday should also complete their evolution today.
He was certain that their abilities would definitely be weaker than the Grade Two Green Ring Worker Bees.
The fact that these eight worker bees had gained an additional 10 years of life was not surprising.
Nearly all termites or honeybees that eat Banyan Tree Blood and undergo normal evolution could increase their lifespans by more than ten years.
“If they can defeat the bumblebees, then there’s no need to worry about the safety of the beehive anymore,” Qin Niu thought to himself, considering having them fight the bumblebee in the cage.