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I am on a search to find a queen ant and want to know the best way to extract a queen from a wild colony?

Thank you

It is very difficult to impossible. YOu should try to catch a queen that has just mated instead.

StormAnts444 wrote:I am on a search to find a queen ant and want to know the best way to extract a queen from a wild colony?

Thank you

It's easy. I did it just yesterday. Just lift up rocks and logs until you find a colony with a queen. However, don't just "extract" the queen. Take as many workers and as much brood as possible. Queens taken from their colonies usually get stressed and die.

This is difficult for most species, most of the time. Some species queens will stay shallow at times (under rocks, or debris), and will make it easy in some instances.
Just keep in mind, if you do find one from an established colony it will be very stressful and possibly mean the death of the queen, and it will absolutely be death for the rest of the colony left behind.

It may be frustrating trying to find a queen post nuptial flight but its way more rewarding. Even if you don't find one this autumn there is always next spring/summer. Plus taking a queen from a wild colony would mean destroying the colony and most likely death. And more than likely while trying to dig the queen out you will kill her. Its really not worth it. Just my two cents.

Yeah, don't go tearing up ant nests just to find a queen. It is destructive and impatient.

I promise I will not dig up any ants!

I am curious about this as well, only because we have Myrmica Rubra as an invasive species and there is a small outbreak within walking distance. I know doing this is a bad idea but I also kind of want to help solve the outbreak while not just killing them all. I also want to state I understand my interest in doing so with a fire ant nest is insanely dangerous.. and really, really dumb.

larynx wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:06 pm

This is difficult for most species, most of the time. Some species queens will stay shallow at times (under rocks, or debris), and will make it easy in some instances.
Just keep in mind, if you do find one from an established colony it will be very stressful and possibly mean the death of the queen, and it will absolutely be death for the rest of the colony left behind.

I thought ants would work without a queen... So the current colony would really only die of natural causes anyways. Taking the queen is just moving where the future colony is gonna continue to grow. (That is if the queen doesn't die of stress first)

AntSprites wrote: ↑

Thu Oct 04, 2018 9:42 am

larynx wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 18, 2016 7:06 pm

This is difficult for most species, most of the time. Some species queens will stay shallow at times (under rocks, or debris), and will make it easy in some instances.
Just keep in mind, if you do find one from an established colony it will be very stressful and possibly mean the death of the queen, and it will absolutely be death for the rest of the colony left behind.

I thought ants would work without a queen... So the current colony would really only die of natural causes anyways. Taking the queen is just moving where the future colony is gonna continue to grow. (That is if the queen doesn't die of stress first)

They do work without a queen, they just have no one to reproduce, so they work like a normal colony until they die of old age.