Queen Not Being Fed
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Queen Not Being Fed
My carpenter ant colony entered their third year this March. They were all lethargic coming out of hibernation, but even after the workers seized their first crushed cricket this year the queen remained slow and stumbling. I never saw them do trophallaxis with her, and they seemed to not be staying around her like normal.
At one point I even caught her venturing into the AC portal in an attempt to eat some leftover protein jelly. Multiple times I feared she had died on the spot. I checked on them this morning and she was away from all the workers, at the end of the test tube.
What's going on? Did she somehow lose the queen scent? I've never had this issue before and I'm really worried about her. Could she starve because of this?
At one point I even caught her venturing into the AC portal in an attempt to eat some leftover protein jelly. Multiple times I feared she had died on the spot. I checked on them this morning and she was away from all the workers, at the end of the test tube.
What's going on? Did she somehow lose the queen scent? I've never had this issue before and I'm really worried about her. Could she starve because of this?
- antperson24
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:01 pm
- Location: North East Iowa
Re: Queen Not Being Fed
How long have they been out of hibernation? They will be out of sorts for the first week or two, but after a bit they will be back to normal. I highly doubt the queen will starve.Toastant wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:52 amMy carpenter ant colony entered their third year this March. They were all lethargic coming out of hibernation, but even after the workers seized their first crushed cricket this year the queen remained slow and stumbling. I never saw them do trophallaxis with her, and they seemed to not be staying around her like normal.
At one point I even caught her venturing into the AC portal in an attempt to eat some leftover protein jelly. Multiple times I feared she had died on the spot. I checked on them this morning and she was away from all the workers, at the end of the test tube.
What's going on? Did she somehow lose the queen scent? I've never had this issue before and I'm really worried about her. Could she starve because of this?
Why keep ants that aren't found in your yard?
There are so many fascinating ants right where you live!
I disagree with the keeping/buying of ants that aren't in your area.
Join Ants, Plants, and Myrmecology: https://discord.gg/BeQuNf8yTN
There are so many fascinating ants right where you live!
I disagree with the keeping/buying of ants that aren't in your area.
Join Ants, Plants, and Myrmecology: https://discord.gg/BeQuNf8yTN
Re: Queen Not Being Fed
They have been out since the 11th. The workers are incredibly lively but I remember her acting different.antperson24 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:48 amHow long have they been out of hibernation? They will be out of sorts for the first week or two, but after a bit they will be back to normal. I highly doubt the queen will starve.Toastant wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:52 amMy carpenter ant colony entered their third year this March. They were all lethargic coming out of hibernation, but even after the workers seized their first crushed cricket this year the queen remained slow and stumbling. I never saw them do trophallaxis with her, and they seemed to not be staying around her like normal.
At one point I even caught her venturing into the AC portal in an attempt to eat some leftover protein jelly. Multiple times I feared she had died on the spot. I checked on them this morning and she was away from all the workers, at the end of the test tube.
What's going on? Did she somehow lose the queen scent? I've never had this issue before and I'm really worried about her. Could she starve because of this?
- antperson24
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:01 pm
- Location: North East Iowa
Re: Queen Not Being Fed
I think they will be ok, they are probably not very hungry.Toastant wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 4:06 pmThey have been out since the 11th. The workers are incredibly lively but I remember her acting different.antperson24 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:48 amHow long have they been out of hibernation? They will be out of sorts for the first week or two, but after a bit they will be back to normal. I highly doubt the queen will starve.Toastant wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 8:52 amMy carpenter ant colony entered their third year this March. They were all lethargic coming out of hibernation, but even after the workers seized their first crushed cricket this year the queen remained slow and stumbling. I never saw them do trophallaxis with her, and they seemed to not be staying around her like normal.
At one point I even caught her venturing into the AC portal in an attempt to eat some leftover protein jelly. Multiple times I feared she had died on the spot. I checked on them this morning and she was away from all the workers, at the end of the test tube.
What's going on? Did she somehow lose the queen scent? I've never had this issue before and I'm really worried about her. Could she starve because of this?
Why keep ants that aren't found in your yard?
There are so many fascinating ants right where you live!
I disagree with the keeping/buying of ants that aren't in your area.
Join Ants, Plants, and Myrmecology: https://discord.gg/BeQuNf8yTN
There are so many fascinating ants right where you live!
I disagree with the keeping/buying of ants that aren't in your area.
Join Ants, Plants, and Myrmecology: https://discord.gg/BeQuNf8yTN
Re: Queen Not Being Fed
Ok. I felt like something was wrong with 0-1 workers remaining at her side. There's 13 to go around at the moment.antperson24 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 6:57 pmI think they will be ok, they are probably not very hungry.Toastant wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 4:06 pmThey have been out since the 11th. The workers are incredibly lively but I remember her acting different.antperson24 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:48 am
How long have they been out of hibernation? They will be out of sorts for the first week or two, but after a bit they will be back to normal. I highly doubt the queen will starve.
- antperson24
- Posts: 1226
- Joined: Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:01 pm
- Location: North East Iowa
Re: Queen Not Being Fed
Queens seem to take longer to wake up than workers, so maybe that's why she is acting weird.Toastant wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 10:03 pmOk. I felt like something was wrong with 0-1 workers remaining at her side. There's 13 to go around at the moment.antperson24 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 6:57 pmI think they will be ok, they are probably not very hungry.
Why keep ants that aren't found in your yard?
There are so many fascinating ants right where you live!
I disagree with the keeping/buying of ants that aren't in your area.
Join Ants, Plants, and Myrmecology: https://discord.gg/BeQuNf8yTN
There are so many fascinating ants right where you live!
I disagree with the keeping/buying of ants that aren't in your area.
Join Ants, Plants, and Myrmecology: https://discord.gg/BeQuNf8yTN
Re: Queen Not Being Fed
(I am so sorry if this counts as necroposting but I didn't want to make a new thread for the same issue and it had been less than a week)antperson24 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 25, 2023 7:51 amQueens seem to take longer to wake up than workers, so maybe that's why she is acting weird.Toastant wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 10:03 pmOk. I felt like something was wrong with 0-1 workers remaining at her side. There's 13 to go around at the moment.antperson24 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 6:57 pm
I think they will be ok, they are probably not very hungry.
I have only witnessed trophallaxis between the queen and a worker once, and it seemed... Forced (she was at a weird angle, and seemed like she was trying to break away). The queen seems to "request" it often, waving her antennae around near a worker's and getting her face near the worker's face. In previous years, that always resulted in trophallaxis.
She still leaves the tube often to feed on her own, often falling asleep out there, even on a dried up strawberry piece I wanted to clean up. When she got off of it, she went back in the test tube, fleeing my tweezers, (I know I wasn't supposed to scare her but they were searching for food) and then tried to come back out again the moment it calmed down.
It's almost like they don't even know she exists. This doesn't feel right... She is also still lethargic. I actually found her today, three years ago, in 2020. Shouldn't she be active again by the time her species flies? They have heating too.
Re: Queen Not Being Fed
Nothing to worry about! Different species may do odd things that could be undocumented, but that is about how trophallaxis works within the colony. You don't have to worry, the workers ussually know what's best for their queen. Maybe she is just getting borred.
My current colonies:
-Miniature Military(formica neogagates)
-Black Hearts(crematogaster cerasi)
In search of new camponotus colony
[Have a look at antmaps.org]
-Miniature Military(formica neogagates)
-Black Hearts(crematogaster cerasi)
In search of new camponotus colony
[Have a look at antmaps.org]
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