8 replies to this topic

[AntRealm]

Hi everyone,
I found a few alates (male and female) that hadn’t mated yet and still had wings. Even though I thought the chance of mating in a container would be low, I decided to try it and placed them all in a small terrarium.

After about 2–3 hours, three of the queens shed their wings. At first, I thought it might be due to stress or the environment. I then moved them to a test tube setup.

Around three days later, one of the queens started laying eggs, but the other two didn’t lay any and just stayed around the egg-laying queen. I suspect the eggs that were laid might be males.

I’m not sure of the exact species of the queens, but I’ve attached some photos.
What do you think? Have you had a similar experience?

Attached Images

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Edited by AntRealm, September 13 2025 - 9:20 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Keep in mind that just because queens have wings does not necessarily mean they have not mated. You’ll need to wait and see what develops from the eggs.

[cooIboyJ]

What is the size of the queens? And where did you find them?

[AntRealm]

Keep in mind that just because queens have wings does not necessarily mean they have not mated. You’ll need to wait and see what develops from the eggs.

I’m aware of this, but honestly, I extracted them from the nest.

[AntRealm]

What is the size of the queens? And where did you find them?

I took them from the main colony; they’re about 1 cm in size. However, it was late summer, when the peak flying season was already over.

[cooIboyJ]

 

What is the size of the queens? And where did you find them?

I took them from the main colony; they’re about 1 cm in size. However, it was late summer, when the peak flying season was already over.

 

What is your location, like state and city.

[AntRealm]

What is the size of the queens? And where did you find them?

I took them from the main colony; they’re about 1 cm in size. However, it was late summer, when the peak flying season was already over.

What is your location, like state and city.

Northern Iran, south of the Caspian Sea

[cooIboyJ]

I'm not familiar with the ants in your region but if I were to guess it might be a smaller species of Camponotus. I would wait for someone more experienced to ID your ant then find out if they mate in the air or the ground. If they mate on the ground you have better chances of mating them.

Edited by cooIboyJ, September 13 2025 - 10:16 AM.

[ANTdrew]

Definitely not Camponotus. My guess is Messor here.