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They look like eggs

Started By smares , Aug 19 2018 9:59 AM

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4 replies to this topic

#1 Offline smares - Posted August 19 2018 - 9:59 AM

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LocationLakewood, Colorado

One of my tetramorium queens had a dirty test tube and I could not get her to leave to the new one so I was transferring her out manually. Got her in the new test tube just fine. Went to scoop up the egg mass and realized it was moving, scattering! They were mites not eggs. I found only one larvae in the "egg" mass. No actual eggs. I suspect the mites ate the real eggs /the rest of the larvae. She should have had a nice pile of mostly larvae by now. The queen seems to be more alert and doing better now.
Has anyone seen this before?

#2 Offline CoolColJ - Posted August 20 2018 - 4:54 AM

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Current ant colonies -
1) Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant), Melophorus sp2. black and orange, Pheidole species, Pheidole antipodum
Journal = http://www.formicult...ra-iridomyrmex/

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#3 Offline Solinopis - Posted August 20 2018 - 7:12 AM

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Whoa that sounds cool I have had this happen once before and this happens when the test tube is to dirty and filled with left over food. The mites did not have to be transported their because they could have been on a piece of food you fed them. They do look like eggs and they feed on the brood of colony's. Be careful that there is no laid eggs on the queen. Use a paint brush highly recommend. Make sure u move her to a new tube without any dirty stuff in it.

Best regards,solinopis