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Mites on my new Myrmecocystus queens


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2 replies to this topic

#1 Offline dspdrew - Posted April 14 2014 - 5:41 AM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

I recently collected 11 small brown Myrmecocystus sp. queens and noticed that most of them had quite a few mites burrowed into the area where their wings were once attached and the underside of their neck. A couple of them didn't have any, but most had three or more. Luckily I have a microscope that made it possible to see them good enough to remove them. I was able to pull most of them off, but a few of them just crushed, making them much harder to remove. Hopefully there won't be a problem with the ones that weren't fully removed; I at least killed them.

 

I have not noticed any mites on queens I have collected in the past, although they may be a reason for some of the sudden deaths. I'm wondering why there were so many on these particular queens. Is there just a high concentration of them in the location where I collected the queens, or is it something about that genus of ant? I'm also a little worried that there may be eggs somewhere that are going to hatch and start attacking these queens again. I suppose once the wing wounds heal up, that spot will be less vulnerable, but the neck will probably always be a target for these things.

 

Here's a picture of one of the queens that had quite a few mites on it.

 

gallery_2_137_12610.jpg



#2 Offline uso - Posted April 20 2014 - 9:51 PM

uso

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  • LocationGeorgia

I think these particular mites are velvet mite nymphs. I've never known them to feed on ants though, but I don't think they're particularly picky about their hosts.


Edited by uso, April 20 2014 - 9:51 PM.


#3 Offline dspdrew - Posted April 21 2014 - 4:18 AM

dspdrew
  • LocationSanta Ana, CA

Your alive! Welcome back. Would those be the ones you find attached to lizards a lot? They look like the ones I have to pick off my Side-blotched lizard all the time.






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