Solenopsis Eggs
Solenopsis Eggs
Hello, I'm a new antkeeper and I'm located in central Florida. I've captured a Queen Solenopsis (Fire ant), not exactly sure what type of Solenopsis but I'm sure it is a red fire ant specie. I captured her from an existing mound in my backyard and I have her in a test tube setup. I noticed she has approximately a dozen eggs in the tube.
I've read that she could lay "unfertilized" eggs if she didn't mate. Are there any signs that these could be non-worker eggs? Also, anyone have any experience they could share? Thanks, and I look forward to reading any feedback.
MadTopher
I've read that she could lay "unfertilized" eggs if she didn't mate. Are there any signs that these could be non-worker eggs? Also, anyone have any experience they could share? Thanks, and I look forward to reading any feedback.
MadTopher
Re: Solenopsis Eggs
I just posted to your other post, take a look:
http://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=850&p=5336#p5336
http://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=850&p=5336#p5336
MadVampy
Head Forum Admin
Name is also Mike but please don't confuse me with Mikey Bustos, two different people.
Keeper of Solenopsis Ants.
Head Forum Admin
Name is also Mike but please don't confuse me with Mikey Bustos, two different people.
Keeper of Solenopsis Ants.
Re: Solenopsis Eggs
Read that other posting. Big thing is that if they are not fertilised then they will never progress from the egg state. It does take a while for it to happen. Also the first born will be smaller then what your use to seeing size wise at a normal mound and that's because the protein used to get them to that point is from the queen, she is supplying all the protein from herself to get her colony started. Once they progress and you get them to the point of being in a nest and feeding them regularly you will see the size of them grow. They are all the same as eggs, the size and roll of them in the colony is based on the about they are fed and nurtured.MadTopher wrote:Hello, I'm a new antkeeper and I'm located in central Florida. I've captured a Queen Solenopsis (Fire ant), not exactly sure what type of Solenopsis but I'm sure it is a red fire ant specie. I captured her from an existing mound in my backyard and I have her in a test tube setup. I noticed she has approximately a dozen eggs in the tube.
I've read that she could lay "unfertilized" eggs if she didn't mate. Are there any signs that these could be non-worker eggs? Also, anyone have any experience they could share? Thanks, and I look forward to reading any feedback.
MadTopher
MadVampy
Head Forum Admin
Name is also Mike but please don't confuse me with Mikey Bustos, two different people.
Keeper of Solenopsis Ants.
Head Forum Admin
Name is also Mike but please don't confuse me with Mikey Bustos, two different people.
Keeper of Solenopsis Ants.
Re: Solenopsis Eggs
If you captured her in a already existing mound, does she have any wings when you caught her if she does she's most likely unfertile. If she's caught without wings she's most likely fertile.MadTopher wrote:Hello, I'm a new antkeeper and I'm located in central Florida. I've captured a Queen Solenopsis (Fire ant), not exactly sure what type of Solenopsis but I'm sure it is a red fire ant specie. I captured her from an existing mound in my backyard and I have her in a test tube setup. I noticed she has approximately a dozen eggs in the tube.
I've read that she could lay "unfertilized" eggs if she didn't mate. Are there any signs that these could be non-worker eggs? Also, anyone have any experience they could share? Thanks, and I look forward to reading any feedback.
MadTopher
Re: Solenopsis Eggs
Yes if you took her from the mound itself then it's a high chance that she never mated. But if you caught her during a nuptial flight near the mound there is always the chance of her being fertile. The previous postings of mine http://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=564 were all caught with in 10-15 feet from the mound and 90% of them were fertal including the winged oneRainbowUnicornJesus wrote:If you captured her in a already existing mound, does she have any wings when you caught her if she does she's most likely unfertile. If she's caught without wings she's most likely fertile.MadTopher wrote:Hello, I'm a new antkeeper and I'm located in central Florida. I've captured a Queen Solenopsis (Fire ant), not exactly sure what type of Solenopsis but I'm sure it is a red fire ant specie. I captured her from an existing mound in my backyard and I have her in a test tube setup. I noticed she has approximately a dozen eggs in the tube.
I've read that she could lay "unfertilized" eggs if she didn't mate. Are there any signs that these could be non-worker eggs? Also, anyone have any experience they could share? Thanks, and I look forward to reading any feedback.
MadTopher
MadVampy
Head Forum Admin
Name is also Mike but please don't confuse me with Mikey Bustos, two different people.
Keeper of Solenopsis Ants.
Head Forum Admin
Name is also Mike but please don't confuse me with Mikey Bustos, two different people.
Keeper of Solenopsis Ants.
Re: Solenopsis Eggs
Thanks for the replies. RUJ, I dug the mound into a 5 gallon bucket. I waited a day for them to calm down searched it for the Queen. She did not have wings, however i caught 2 other non-winged queens in the same bucket. She's the only one that started laying eggs in the test tube setup. One died in the test tube and the other has not produced.
Re: Solenopsis Eggs
Some colonies can have more then one queen, the queen that died might be from too much stress and the other queen could take some time untill it start laying eggs agin.MadTopher wrote:Thanks for the replies. RUJ, I dug the mound into a 5 gallon bucket. I waited a day for them to calm down searched it for the Queen. She did not have wings, however i caught 2 other non-winged queens in the same bucket. She's the only one that started laying eggs in the test tube setup. One died in the test tube and the other has not produced.
Re: Solenopsis Eggs
Wait did you caught the workers aswell with the queen, when you collect a queen form a already exciting mound you want to collect as much workers from the some mound and put them together with the queen, and I don't think a queen from a already exciting mound need a test tube setup, just capture the workers and broods.MadTopher wrote:Thanks for the replies. RUJ, I dug the mound into a 5 gallon bucket. I waited a day for them to calm down searched it for the Queen. She did not have wings, however i caught 2 other non-winged queens in the same bucket. She's the only one that started laying eggs in the test tube setup. One died in the test tube and the other has not produced.
Re: Solenopsis Eggs
Yea if your one who digs a mound to find the active queen in the mound you'll want to take some of the workers and some of the eggs if you can get some. Basically what your doing is raiding the mound and making another nest. Hopefully that wasn't the only active queen for the mound or else the nest may die off. One thing I did find out with solenopsis is that you can transplant a queen if the queen dies off. I have done this 3 times already and after about a day they accepted the new queen as their own. This doesn't always work and I can't say it will work with other species of ants.
MadVampy
Head Forum Admin
Name is also Mike but please don't confuse me with Mikey Bustos, two different people.
Keeper of Solenopsis Ants.
Head Forum Admin
Name is also Mike but please don't confuse me with Mikey Bustos, two different people.
Keeper of Solenopsis Ants.
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