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What to do with Alates...

Started By yfaykya , Sep 12 2020 1:52 PM

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7 replies to this topic

#1 Offline yfaykya - Posted September 12 2020 - 1:52 PM

yfaykya

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One of my Lasius Flavus colonies is adding new dead alates to the trash pile every day. I guess the workers are killing them off as season is over? Most just roam the outworld anyways (with fair number of workers) was wondering would it be less stressful for the colony if I remove the alates?  

 

Thx.


#2 Offline Antkid12 - Posted September 12 2020 - 2:07 PM

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I would remove them.


Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#3 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 12 2020 - 2:20 PM

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I second this. Let them fly if you can. Congrats on alates, by the way!
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#4 Offline gcsnelling - Posted September 12 2020 - 2:46 PM

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Let them live out their lives, they should not be released.


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#5 Offline AleeGuy - Posted September 12 2020 - 3:08 PM

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If they're native then just release them

#6 Offline CheetoLord02 - Posted September 13 2020 - 12:12 AM

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This really isn't out of the ordinary. If alates are unable to fly (as is the case in captivity, more often than not), the workers will simply kill and/or eat the alates so that they don't continue to live in the nest and take up resources. Seeing workers killing their own alates at the end of the season makes sense. Personally I'd just leave them to do as they please, but if you wanted to release all the alates I suppose there's a chance they could fly, although ultimately I think either way you'd end up with all the alates dying in one way or another. It's up to you, though.


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#7 Offline yfaykya - Posted September 13 2020 - 2:06 AM

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This really isn't out of the ordinary. If alates are unable to fly (as is the case in captivity, more often than not), the workers will simply kill and/or eat the alates so that they don't continue to live in the nest and take up resources. Seeing workers killing their own alates at the end of the season makes sense. Personally I'd just leave them to do as they please, but if you wanted to release all the alates I suppose there's a chance they could fly, although ultimately I think either way you'd end up with all the alates dying in one way or another. It's up to you, though.

 

 

This was what I always thought. My question was whether me removing and killing the alates (most have removed their wings) would be less stressful to the colony. 


#8 Offline AntsDakota - Posted September 13 2020 - 10:55 AM

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I believe the workers were attempting to kick them out of the nest, as alates consume a lot of the colony's resources. Since they couldn't 'get rid of them' by forcing them to fly, they 'got rid of them' in another way.  :whistle:


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"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

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