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Multi Solenopsis Queens?

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 6:14 pm
by MadVampy
Yep multi queens in the same colony! A well established colony at that!

While out at the paintball field (Good friends with the owner) he was out spreading poison on the fields to get rid of the fire ants that were all over the playing fields (yes a sad time), we have to keep them off the fields because players kneel down, crawl, and walk every inch of the field while playing paintball the last thing we need is for them to get stung by the ants. We did have one case where a player slid into a bunker and right into a fire ant mound, he was highly allergic to them (wasps and bees too) and thank god he had his epipen with him!!

Well I was kinda curious on how developed the colonies were and scraped back the top 3-4 inches to check them out and was rather surprised to what I found! Every mound I uncovered had a minimum of 3-6 queens (not algates) near the surface and a lot of eggs and pupa (near the surface for the sun's warmth), that caught me by surprise. I have seen that multi queens have been together when establishing a new colony but for there to be so many in a well established colony? Interesting! I went and got my phone and did a video of me uncovering one. Please excuse the video quality and also the shaking of the video.


Re: Multi Solenopsis Queens?

Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 9:50 pm
by Martialis
Crazy.

Re: Multi Solenopsis Queens?

Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 12:01 pm
by AntsSA
I would totally keep them.... :lol: :lol:

Re: Multi Solenopsis Queens?

Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 12:59 pm
by Martialis
AntsSA wrote:
Sun Feb 12, 2017 12:01 pm
I would totally keep them.... :lol: :lol:
Would've been better for the environment if he did.

What's interesting though, is that Solenopsis geminata, the tropical imported fire ant, is actually native to the southern U.S., including Alabama.

Re: Multi Solenopsis Queens?

Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 3:44 pm
by MadVampy
I did keep 3 queens. Starting another colony.

Re: Multi Solenopsis Queens?

Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 10:26 pm
by MadVampy
Ok this is a next day update on the 3 Solenopsis Queens I got yesterday. I went back out the the paintball field and using a tupperware container I got a bunch of workers and also some eggs and larva and brought it back to the house. I wanted to give the 3 Queens some support from the workers that they had already gotten use to (this wasn't a new founded by the queen colony). I hooked them together. I had put the Queens in a AC Hybrid nest yesterday and the rest of what I got was in the soil from the nest today, so far they have chosen to move 2 of the 3 queens into the soil nest and are coaxing the 3 right now. Their choice, I'll give it a few days and see which one they like better.


Re: Multi Solenopsis Queens?

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 8:14 am
by Serafine
This isn't really that special or new. The further south you go the more the Solenopsis genus tends to multiqueen colonies (across most if not all species).

Re: Multi Solenopsis Queens?

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 11:48 am
by MadVampy
Serafine wrote:
Mon Feb 13, 2017 8:14 am
This isn't really that special or new. The further south you go the more the Solenopsis genus tends to multiqueen colonies (across most if not all species).
Ok well as many fire ant mounds and such that I have dealt with in the over 15yrs I've been in Alabama this is the first time I've come across a mound having multi queens, I'm not talking about winged algates but fertile queens. Yes multi queens founding a nest that's a common thing I've come across but this particular mound has been around for over a year.

Re: Multi Solenopsis Queens?

Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 7:00 pm
by SpeciesK
I am surprised that you scooped off some of their mound and found several queens even if no one else is. With honeybees, they mark the queen sometimes but putting a spot of nail polish on the middle segment. Maybe you could try that. If we see videos with your fingernails different colors then we will know you went a tiny bit overboard but had fun anyway. :)