Will an unfertilized ant queen die?

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Vested
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Jul 17, 2017 1:39 am
Location: Colorado

Will an unfertilized ant queen die?

Post: # 31270Post Vested
Tue Sep 12, 2017 2:43 pm

Hello! I've just started ant keeping this year and it's been going great, so far I have 3 Tetramorium caespitum test tube setups with around 10 ish works right now. The one issue I have is I found another ant in early August I'm assuming is a queen she was found in the Colorado, Rocky Mountains near a lake with no wings. I've had her for around a month now in a test tube, she's always had a tendency to pull at the cotton and after around 3 weeks of having her with no eggs I decided to give her some honey which was quickly accepted, after another 3ish weeks there is still no eggs and I have given her a cricket leg that she seemed to enjoy. So number one question im wondering is if she is even a queen? I didn't think workers could last a month on their own even with food/water, and if she is a queen do you think she will lay eggs next spring or she is just unfertilized and will die? Next question is what kind of ant is she (I will provide pictures) my guess is a carpenter ant queen as she is fairly large at around a centimeter, and has some defining features that I could find.

Thanks! Let me know if you need any more information :)

Rounded Thorax
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Single Node (Sorry this picture isn't the best but it shows the node)
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Overhead Picture (Bloated gastor)
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As close up as I could do :P
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Side Picture
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Batspiderfish
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Location: Maine

Re: Will an unfertilized ant queen die?

Post: # 31285Post Batspiderfish
Tue Sep 12, 2017 10:05 pm

She is a Formica sp. from the fusca group, probably F. argentea or F. occulta, but I cannot tell from the pictures. Formica will not keep any brood over the winter, so she is probably waiting for the spring. Unfertilized queens still lay eggs, but because the eggs are haploid (containing only half of the mother's DNA), they will all develop into worthless males.
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.

Chamety
Posts: 15
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2017 1:09 am
Location: Beliot, WI, USA

Re: Will an unfertilized ant queen die?

Post: # 35882Post Chamety
Sat May 12, 2018 3:06 pm

Hey just curious. Did this queen ever lay eggs?
-Cham

Alpha199
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Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:24 am
Location: Anchorage

Re: Will an unfertilized ant queen die?

Post: # 38613Post Alpha199
Sat Jun 23, 2018 2:40 am

Also curious

CaptainAnt2005
Posts: 38
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 1:55 pm
Location: US of A

Re: Will an unfertilized ant queen die?

Post: # 40542Post CaptainAnt2005
Mon Jul 09, 2018 6:55 pm

So did she end up making it?

Cjc109
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2018 7:03 pm
Location: Central Florida

Re: Will an unfertilized ant queen die?

Post: # 55717Post Cjc109
Tue Feb 05, 2019 4:44 pm

Any news?

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Clover
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2019 1:03 am

Re: Will an unfertilized ant queen die?

Post: # 55772Post Clover
Fri Feb 08, 2019 1:19 am

Cjc109 wrote:
Tue Feb 05, 2019 4:44 pm
Any news?
Bump. Want to know as well.
Utinam Ne Illum Numquam Conspexissem

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