3 replies to this topic

[Antdoggy]

I have a small colony maybe 20-30 ants now, When I started this colony it was 2 test tubes with 3 queens each, I moved them into a small atom nest and they all moved the brood in togeather

 

Now everyday a queen will just be wondering outside the atom nest in the outworld and eventually it dies, are these ants better off with 1 queen? should I stop adding new queens that I find? There is now only 1 queen in the atom nest

 

http://imgur.com/a/C6fe3

Edited by Antdoggy, July 15 2017 - 3:10 PM.

[drtrmiller]

Yes, they are monogyne and only accept one queen shortly after the first nanitic workers arrive.

[Serafine]

Solenoposis invicta can found with multiple queens - actually they are actively raiding neighboring colonies, transporting all the brood, workers and even queen into their nest. This can lead to a massive colony with a ridiculous amount of queens (one colony was reported to have raided 50 nests over a time of 3 months and accumulated 50+ queens and thousands of workers), but sooner or later most fire ant colonies will dispatch any but one single queen.

There are strains of polygynous Solenopsis invicta though but they can only be found in certain areas.

Edited by Serafine, July 16 2017 - 1:26 AM.

[Antdoggy]

Yes, they are monogyne and only accept one queen shortly after the first nanitic workers arrive.

 

 

Solenoposis invicta can found with multiple queens - actually they are actively raiding neighboring colonies, transporting all the brood, workers and even queen into their nest. This can lead to a massive colony with a ridiculous amount of queens (one colony was reported to have raided 50 nests over a time of 3 months and accumulated 50+ queens and thousands of workers), but sooner or later most fire ant colonies will dispatch any but one single queen.

There are strains of polygynous Solenopsis invicta though but they can only be found in certain areas.

in the wild do the queens who leave just die? Or are they able to make colonies?

 

And just to be clear this means I should give up on adding queens for good right? The last remaining queen still has her wings attached but I'm pretty sure she is egg laying