31 replies to this topic

[Atom Ant]

She laid two eggs the day after I caught her. 

[Atom Ant]

This might seem cruel to some but I've kept  multiple tetramorium queens together in an attempt to raise a successful multi-queen colony. This species is monogyn but I'm hoping this colony will be the exception. Some ant queens will work together in the beginning but turn on each other after the workers are born: 

 

 

I began with 15 but 4 died for reasons unknown. Their bodies were chopped up and discarded into a trash pile but I don't think they were intentionally killed. Only one queen has died since the first workers were born. 

 

[Crystals]

Good luck on that.  How long have they been together for?

Post all information, even if it is bad news.  That way others can learn.

 

You might try to keep them well fed to lower aggression.  Sugar water and fruit flies are easy and low mess.

 

I have always though about trying that with a very common Formica species where I live. I might have to hit the flood plain when they fly and see how many I can collect (they won't survive the spring flooding there).

[Mercutia]

OMG. This could be a reality game show.

 

"15 Queens started, only one will survive and claim the title of... ULTIMATE QUEEN. LET THE GAMES BEGIN! (And may the odds be ever in your favor.)"

[Atom Ant]

Good luck on that.  How long have they been together for?

Post all information, even if it is bad news.  That way others can learn.

 

You might try to keep them well fed to lower aggression.  Sugar water and fruit flies are easy and low mess.

 

I have always though about trying that with a very common Formica species where I live. I might have to hit the flood plain when they fly and see how many I can collect (they won't survive the spring flooding there).

 

Good idea about the food. I thought space might help as well. I remember reading some colonies with multiple queens keep them separated. 

 

OMG. This could be a reality game show.

 

"15 Queens started, only one will survive and claim the title of... ULTIMATE QUEEN. LET THE GAMES BEGIN! (And may the odds be ever in your favor.)"

 

I wish I could put some sort of paint or something on each queen so I could tell them apart. Then I could name one Katniss or something  . Apparently if you put paint on the queens, the workers just clean it off... 

Edited by Atom Ant, July 24 2014 - 8:39 PM.

[Crystals]

Space could be debatable...

Some species with more than 3 queens in a tight space may not fight too much in case the other queen decided to strike (like cichlid fish).  Excess space may allow the queens to not have enough contact to maintain the colony scent (some queens don't move/socialize much).

I expect that there is probably some sort of middle ground, just tight enough, but not so restricted that they get on one anothers nerves.

 

Although how long the peace will last will still probably depend on the species and the queens in question (admit it, we have all had one of "those" nutcase queens who refuse to follow the rules).

[Atom Ant]

Camponotus C. Queen #1 has two workers! She's the only one with workers at this point but it shouldn't be too long before the other queens have their first kids.

 

I like their bright, light honey color:

 

 

 

Here's the new nest for the tetramorium queens. I picked it up from a hobby shop for around $3 (on sale). I thought of a dozen different nests that I could possibly design but this one seemed to be the best fit for my needs: 

 

 

There's lots of space for colony growth and exploration but each chamber is small enough for the ants to (hopefully) feel secure. I am going to create levels within the nesting chamber so the ants can place the brood somewhere. Right now they've got the brood smashed into a corner which doesn't seem too comfortable. I kid, but I don't want the queens to stop producing eggs because they don't feel "safe".

 

I didn't anticipate how absolutely filthy all of these queens can be. 1 queen can be a little messy but 10+? Disgusting. Ant poo everywhere. With this nest, I can easily wipe down their nesting area if it gets too dirty. There's also no chance of escape. 

 

 

 

I noticed two of the queens just don't want to hang around with the others. They are always off exploring different areas: 

 

 

In this ^ picture: the nest is on the bottom right and the two loner queens are in chamber to the left of the nest and above it. There hasn't been any hostility or fighting so I'm not quite sure why they don't want to play with the group. 

 

I fed all of my queens sugar water this week -- except for the aphaenogaster. I'll wait before I disturb her. 

 

Also: I opened my back door to get some air and when I sat down to my computer a winged queen ant was on my computer screen. Great! I put her in a tube and she now has a small batch of eggs (she also removed her wings). She's really, really small. I think she might be solenopsis. 

 

If you look closely at some of the tetramorium pictures you can see my hands because I forgot to take the lid off and... reflections. 

 

EDIT:

I forgot to mention several new tetra workers eclosed. And as soon as I posted this, one of the queens died. I swear she was alive while I was writing. I just gave them water and took the photos. She did it out of spite. 

 

SECOND EDIT:

While I was observing the nest this week I noticed there was an ant leg in the trash pile. I didn't think this was abnormal at all. The queen that just died was missing a leg but she had no other injuries and I've read journals where queens have survived with worst injuries.

 

She chopped off her leg for attention and when that didn't work, she killed herself. There's no convincing me otherwise.

Edited by Atom Ant, July 31 2014 - 7:25 AM.

[Mathiacus]

Lol. Nice looking colony. I hope you have explosive growth. Loving the second edit!

[Atom Ant]

I forgot to mention that I found this bee while I was out walking. I looked different than other bee I've ever seen. I thought it might be a queen because her unique shape.

 

 

=
 

Edited by Atom Ant, July 31 2014 - 11:28 PM.

[Gregory2455]

I have been seeing these too! They have a more slender, longer, and pointy gaster, however they do not have the shape of a queen. I got a pond where they swarm, but there are just as many of them as there are the normal European Honey Bee workers, so they may just be a close species or something?  Drones are fatter and fuzzier though, so its not that. I have a honey bee hive in my neighbor's and they already released their reproductives this year. Unlike ants, their queens don't leave alone, but with a swarm of "migrating" workers who help start her new colony. So, if that was a queen, chances are she would have a couple hundred workers aiding her. I do really want a queen bee though... That would be cool... 

 

 

 

              EDIT: I do not know as much about bees, so if I say anything false, sorry, but feel free to correct me.

Edited by Gregory2455, August 1 2014 - 12:07 AM.

[dermy]

You'd never see just a queen bee, she would always be swarming with workers. It looks like a normal worker to me, they can have different colours, depending on different things. Definitely not a queen though, the abdomen is much more larger in queens.

[Gregory2455]

I wonder what has happened with those Tetramorium queens...