Nanitic workers dead

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nolan1
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:46 pm
Location: Southwest Ohio

Nanitic workers dead

Post: # 31478Post nolan1
Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:10 am

Hi everyone,

I am starting to get worried, my queen had a nanitic brood of 3 and up until today I only had one successfully eclose, but now the lone worker looks to be dead. Is there anything I can do here? I don't think my queen has any eggs in her test tube. I do see a fair bit of mold in her tube though. Could this be an issue? Is the colony lost?
Formica subsericea newbie
1 Colony founded with 8 workers! :D

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Nanitic workers dead

Post: # 31480Post Batspiderfish
Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:33 am

There's so little information here. What is the colony eating? Do they have foraging space to look for food and clean up after themselves? What species is the colony?
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

nolan1
Posts: 15
Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2017 9:46 pm
Location: Southwest Ohio

Re: Nanitic workers dead

Post: # 31481Post nolan1
Sun Sep 17, 2017 10:53 am

Formica, I gave them a drop of honey when they first emerged, and I have recently gave them a small area to forage with a small cricket leg in there assuming they'd look for food when they were hungry
Formica subsericea newbie
1 Colony founded with 8 workers! :D

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Batspiderfish
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
Location: Maine

Re: Nanitic workers dead

Post: # 31485Post Batspiderfish
Sun Sep 17, 2017 11:23 am

I would place a toothpick dipped in sugar water inside the test tube for your queen, then eventually transfer her to a clean test tube and put her somewhere cool for hibernation (assuming she doesn't have any brood at other stages). Formica do not keep brood over the winter, so your queen probably won't want to start again until next spring. She will likely require periodic feedings of insect parts next year (I recommend Drosophila melanogaster), because her protein reserves might be used up by then. Make sure to provide the food in some way that is easy to clean up after (the queen will not tidy after herself and if she can carry the food around, she will probably stick it against the cotton where it will mold.)

If she is not sick, then doing this will probably have the best odds at giving her a second chance.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

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