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Ants with white powder on them

Started By Shinywooloo , Apr 2 2024 5:30 PM

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8 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Shinywooloo - Posted April 2 2024 - 5:30 PM

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My lasius crypticus queen has white powder(?) all over her and seems much more lethargic than usual. Her workers have been dying off and I'm really worried

GOCAMPONOTUS likes this

#2 Offline GOCAMPONOTUS - Posted April 2 2024 - 5:33 PM

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LocationRocklin,CA

Can you post some pics?

Currently keeping
1.Camponotus vicinus. 5 workers
2.Camponotus modoc. 5 workers
3. Camponotus hyatti. 1 worker
4.Veromessor pergandei. founding
5 Linepithema humile. 70-100 workers 5 queens
6. Pheidole Californica. 65 workers
I want: Atta,Myrmecia,Myrmica,Myrmecocystus

#3 Offline Flu1d - Posted April 2 2024 - 6:26 PM

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LocationPensacola, Florida

Can you post some pics?

Agreed. I'm wondering if you could potentially be mistaking mites for powder.

Pictures would most likely help us be able to see what is happening.

Edited by Flu1d, April 2 2024 - 9:53 PM.

Artisan_Ants likes this

#4 Offline GOCAMPONOTUS - Posted April 2 2024 - 7:23 PM

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I first thought mites too but pics can help verify.

#5 Offline Shinywooloo - Posted April 3 2024 - 8:38 AM

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I'll try to post the pixture

#6 Offline Shinywooloo - Posted April 3 2024 - 8:40 AM

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https://photos.app.g...cbgzuKgSUUZ1ex9
This is the best quality I could get, sorry

#7 Offline Full_Frontal_Yeti - Posted April 3 2024 - 9:20 AM

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those white spots look kind of large and hard edge shaped to be mites. A pile of mites together is unlikely to have hard angles like some of those, and be a smoother rounded edges looking splotch.
Also i believe mites tend to congregate around various hinge parts of an ant's body rather than on arbitrary smoother/protected areas of them.

I might imagine that's some kind of sandy debris of some sort that's gotten on her.

Any sticky liquids in their feed routine? That could help provide some adhesive for debris to be sticking to her.

A much more magnified view would help be sure of course.

#8 Offline The_Gaming-gate - Posted April 3 2024 - 10:39 AM

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LocationOrlando, Florida. USA.

They don’t seem like mites, something seems to have rubbed off on her. Almost looks like grains of sugar! It is definitely caused by some food residue sticking to her. The worker deaths depend on how long you’ve had the ants since it could just be nanitics dying at once. But if that isn’t the case they are probably drowning in the residue.

Ants are small creatures... but together... they can rule the world.