2 replies to this topic

[PurdueEntomology]

Hello!  I am wondering if any of you more seasoned formiculturalists have experienced queen loss but having the queen-less colony produce reproductives after queen loss?  If so, what species?  Did the new queens? males? have intranatal mating?  

[SYUTEO]

I believe I do with my Camponotus parius colony which seems to be producing only male ants which is likely laid by the workers as trophic eggs after their queen died (unconfirmed).

[ANTdrew]

I believe I lost the queen in my huge Crematogaster colony last fall while forcing them out of a faulty THA Nucleus. There are some really interesting things going on now, though. They have lots of eggs and brood showing up, including new queen larvae and pupae. While there is a chance the old queen is still in there, I've seen absolutely NO sign of her since last fall. There are still virgin queens in the nest that the colony produced last fall, however. I am wondering if they are now adding to the new brood production? An FC member named Otter has apparently observed intranidal mating in a captive Crematogaster colony before. Unfortunately, he has not yet responded to my messages to him about this matter.

 

Here is a new queen pupa I saw the other day. Chances are she has already eclosed: