3 replies to this topic

[kellakk]

6-10-15

 

I caught 2 alates on a blacklight April 29.  One dropped its wings, while the other kept them.  Both reared their first workers on May 7.  The workers in the alate queen decided to pull at the cotton too much and it flooded, killing all the brood and most of the workers.  The queen died a few days after relocating her to a new test tube.

 

I caught another queen of this species on May 29 at Icehouse Canyon Road on Mt. Baldy.  She shed her wings immediately and has built up a huge pile of eggs, characteristic of this species.

[dspdrew]

Once these things get workers they're crazy. Lots of work... Having around 10 of these, all with about 50 workers already this year is nuts, and now I have another 10. Mine just got workers about two weeks ago, and the ones in test tubes have about 20 workers at all times chewing at the cotton plug trying to get out. It works best to just put their tube in a foraging container as soon as they get their first workers. Are yours acting the same?

[kellakk]

Yeah, they're constantly pulling at the cotton.  I think that's why one of the test tubes got flooded. I moved the one good queen to a foraging container about a week ago and the workers seem a lot happier.  I can't imagine trying to feed all 10 of those while they're in test tubes, though.

[dspdrew]

Yeah it's funny, as soon as they are in a foraging container, and are free to leave the test tube, they all just end up right back in it. They do like to forage a lot.