Ant twitching?

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ImYume
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2016 10:57 pm

Ant twitching?

Post: # 8218Post ImYume
Mon Jul 04, 2016 5:29 pm

Hello,

I was checking on one of my ants and I noticed some twitching going on in all of its legs. Is this a normal thing or has something bad happened to it?

Video link - https://youtu.be/3xUlnr01Cjk

JustCliff
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:03 am
Location: Ohio

Re: Ant twitching?

Post: # 38216Post JustCliff
Mon Jun 18, 2018 8:45 pm

Going to resurrect this thread then let it fade again if it doesn't get a response. No luck with the video from OP.

Found it when looking for an answer to this.

I just saw all of one of the worker's legs from a newly caught camponotus colony start twitching for approx. 2 seconds like a mini ant seizure, then proceed to walk a little when it happened again for another second. Since it hasn't happened. It didn't fall over when this happened either, more like a little twitchy dance.

Anyone ever heard of this?
I did just give them some all natural honey from a toothpick, surely that can't be the reason right..?

Also came across a thread on another forum in my search, even the man Mikey Bustos himself was there posting. No answer in that thread though. Could really use any help anyone can give, even if it's just that they've seen it before.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/antfarm/why-do-some-ants-twitch-t8894.html

It's a very small colony, 7 workers and some brood, that I caught under a piece of bark that I suspected had something underneath of it. The queen is doing fine and they shouldn't be poisoned, I caught them somewhere I go everyday and know for a fact that poison isn't sprayed where they were caught.
Keeper of:
Temnothorax curvispinosus x2
Camponotus nearcticus
Brachymyrmex depilis
Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Founding:
Camponotus pennsylvanicus
Camponotus herculeanus

antsofthelowcountry
Posts: 51
Joined: Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:52 pm

Re: Ant twitching?

Post: # 40245Post antsofthelowcountry
Sat Jul 07, 2018 3:42 pm

The reason behind these twitching ants might be that they are communicating using stridulation. I have read that camponotus ants do this.
As always, wishing you well on your exciting ant adventure, Ants the Lowcountry.

JustCliff
Posts: 85
Joined: Fri Jun 08, 2018 10:03 am
Location: Ohio

Re: Ant twitching?

Post: # 40981Post JustCliff
Fri Jul 13, 2018 12:19 pm

Something happened recently that I think might be relevant.

I make little paper covers for my test tubes to keep light to a minimum, when I slid one off of a colony I noticed one of the larva shot across the test tube.(Larva rail-gun :lol: ) Surprised by this I slid it back on slowly and the larva moved again. I think I gave the colony/tube a static charge via sliding the paper on the tube and this might had been a reason for some of the twitching.

I've seen them do the twitchy dance when this wouldn't apply so they definitely still twitch, but in this case when some of the workers would meet head to head it looked like they were repelled by a magnetic field, like holding two opposing magnets to each other and trying to touch them perfectly center. Their heads looked to "slide" like that from each other. I know for a fact the larva at least contained a charge and I could move it by moving the paper tube.

This colony has sense been moved into a founding formicarium and I no longer see evidence that they are being affected like this.
Keeper of:
Temnothorax curvispinosus x2
Camponotus nearcticus
Brachymyrmex depilis
Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Founding:
Camponotus pennsylvanicus
Camponotus herculeanus

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