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Tetramorium dying in droves


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#1 Offline Temperateants - Posted March 2 2021 - 10:38 AM

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HI, I own a young tetramorium colony that isn't doing so well. Everytime I check on them, a few workers have died. That seems normal, but what isn't is that I just started feeding them again after hibernation and the colony hasn't "jumpstarted" yet, where brood production goes into overdrive. They've currently got a pile of small pre hibernation larvae, and the queen hasn't laid.

 

They have just been on a heating cable, they have good water and I've been feeding them honey and mealworms. I'll confess, the mealworms aren't the freshest, most have been frozen pre-hibernation since I had such a large surplus. Maybe a harmful chemical has been building up inside of them? My other colonies aren't affected. Maybe they've not been eating that well? I just froze a cellar spider I found in my basement and I'll feed it to them, in case they are getting bored. What seems really odd is that a bloated, full replete like worker has died.

 

Any help would be appreciated.


Edited by Temperateants, March 2 2021 - 10:40 AM.

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#2 Offline ConcordAntman - Posted March 2 2021 - 1:27 PM

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i dunno, perhaps lose frozen mealworms and get a fresh batch. If they'd gone through freeze-thaw-freeze cycle, they might be harboring a pathogen from spoilage??



#3 Offline Temperateants - Posted March 2 2021 - 2:02 PM

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i dunno, perhaps lose frozen mealworms and get a fresh batch. If they'd gone through freeze-thaw-freeze cycle, they might be harboring a pathogen from spoilage??

No, they've been frozen this whole time. The insides are still fine, it doesn't look like there's any black bile.


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#4 Offline Temperateants - Posted March 2 2021 - 2:03 PM

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I'll start a fly culture, and freeze some fresh mealworms though.


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#5 Offline ANTdrew - Posted March 2 2021 - 2:27 PM

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Are these the same Tetramorium from last year? What are they living in?
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#6 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted March 2 2021 - 3:32 PM

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i think these might be the tetras from last year


1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

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#7 Offline MinigunL5 - Posted March 2 2021 - 8:18 PM

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Can you describe what you've fed them? Also, have you made any changes to their set-up or diet?

#8 Offline Temperateants - Posted March 3 2021 - 4:20 AM

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They are a colony from a queen I caught and raised last year, they've been living in a large test tube setup. Planning on giving them an outworld soon.


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#9 Offline ANTdrew - Posted March 3 2021 - 5:14 AM

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The lack of outworld is part of the issue I think.


"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#10 Offline gs5248 - Posted March 3 2021 - 10:13 AM

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Is there any visible mold? 






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