5 replies to this topic

[YawningGull]

I ID'd a queen that I found recently, and the person who ID'd her said she was a tetramourium who was probably kicked out of her nest, as they don't fly this time of year.
Since this is the case, how do I care for her? Do I treat her like a normal queen? Is she unable to survive without workers?

[Canadian anter]

Feed her some honey or sugar water. She probably lost a lot of fat reserves.On a side note, Tetramorium can apparently live for 3 months without reserves

[YawningGull]

I was feeding her honey today when I realized she was making a maraca like sound by shaking her gaster. Is this normal? Plus I have her placed next to a formica queen in a box. Will they smell each other through the cotton and get angry? She had nearly escaped through the cotton when I took her out. Maybe it's cuz she smells her neighbor.

Edited by YawningGull, August 23 2016 - 9:57 PM.

[dermy]

As long as the Formica Queen and Tetramorium queen can't escape their test-tube setups then I see nothing wrong with keeping them in the same box. If your really concerned about this queen maybe try brood boosting with about 5 pupae from a wild Tetramorium colony, just make sure they are darker, since that usually means they will eclose quickly.

Edited by dermy, August 23 2016 - 10:25 PM.

[Canadian anter]

Maraca sound?I know myrmica will squeek when drowning but that sounds so cool

[YawningGull]

I was able to hear it if I listened really carefully. But I think there's something wrong with her because she shakes her legs weirdly a little sometimes too. And she won't stop picking at the cotton.
I'll probably take a video of it when I get home.

Edited by YawningGull, August 24 2016 - 11:51 AM.