5 replies to this topic

[Formicine]

Ok. So I was thinking. If I catch virgin queen ants and males from a few different hives and house them together, will they mate or will this just backfire?
I've found a bunch of ant hills of the same type of ant, (Harvesters I believe) and came up with this idea.
I thought I'd ask somewhere before I disturb a few ant hills.

[T.C.]

Wouldn't work! Backfire!

[Formicine]

Wait. Can you tell me what'll happen? Will they just kill each other? Or will they ignore each other?
Or is there an article about someone trying this?

[T.C.]

They would run in a frantic mess all over the place. Although it's unknown what really causes it, for ants to mate, the weather has to be just right for their nuptial flights. You can't just take them from their hills and request them to mate. This may work during a nuptial flight, but it would be pointless as you could just catch the queens after the flight.

[KBant]

I've already done this. i got an alate and a winged male from the same Pogonomyrmex colony and put them in a tube setup and they do nothing. especially the male. it does absolutely nothing even when with alates and other workers. 

Edited by KBant, August 14 2017 - 8:22 PM.

[VoidElecent]

I stumbled upon a Nylanderia terricola nuptial flight back in May and stuffed a (likely) unmated female alate in a test tube with a male. They mated, the queen laid many eggs, and the male seemed to just hang out in the test tube for a couple months after. Just after the first workers eclosed, the male was killed & eaten and the colony lives on. 

 

Just though it was worth sharing.