Tetramorium Queen Updates

[TopTierTetra]

I did a post not long ago regarding my queen's egg laying habits and my expectations for what might happen, so I figured that i'd make a whole new post just for the updates. Last post I mentioned my queen had layed 5-7 eggs last friday. Today I checked, and to my dismay I couldn't locate several eggs that had been there last week. Seems like she's eaten them . I've come to a couple conclusions, but my main idea of what's happened is the drawer I'm keeping her in is too "loud" in terms of vibration when I open the drawer beneath it, so I moved her to what I think is an appropriate place for good-- in my closet under more shirts. It rarely gets opened at all and is very dark. Hopefully she gets better soon. Any other suggestions to what can make a queen stressed? Feel free to ask any questions that might help my situation. Thanks!!

[Boomdale]

They may be hidden in the cotton depending on the species. I had checked on my unknown species earlier and saw one egg she had, I checked again the next day and couldn’t find it so I assumed she ate it. I left her for a couple days and checked her again to find a nice pile. So you never know. Also keeping her heat up to low 70s if possible always helps.

[TopTierTetra]

That could be the case, I certainly hope so anyway Although I've never heard of queens hiding their eggs inside the cotton, especially not Tetramorium. I never really thought of that before, I won't rule it out. What conditions have your queens been in that were successful? Maybe something in my habiting conditions are making her stressed and I'm not noticing...

[Whitelotus]

Hello. I kept my Tetramorium queen in a test tube and she ended up digging through the cotton to make a make-shift nest within the cotton, she kept all her eggs there. As for storage, i kept her in a desk drawer with no problems, though I would recommend you place her in an area in where there is little disturbance. Every time I opened the drawer, i would notice a little bit of stress coming across the queen from the opening. Just be sure to keep her in a nice and quiet place. Good luck.

[Boomdale]

My Nyslanderia also loved to put her first batch of eggs into a crevice of the cotton I had. Always worried me because I could barely see them most days. Relax and wait a little bit. Even if she ate one or two if it’s still early enough she can lay more and still be fine.

[TopTierTetra]

Thank you for the advice! That fills me with hope. I'll keep a close eye when I check on her friday and see if she's buried her eggs somewhere, I don't see any other reason she should be stressed. I have to look into what date she first laid eggs so i can properly keep a check on when the eggs might turn to larva. This can help to find out whether she ate and laid new ones or has been having the same ones for a bit.

[TopTierTetra]

UPDATE: Checked on my Tetramorium queen this morning. I saw one egg, which is admittedly troubling, but I was happy to see her carrying a plump larvae in her jaws! My first larvae to be precise. Do you think that when this larvae eventually turns into a healthy soldier that she'll prompt the queen to start laying eggs more frequently? I hope so. I'll start out feeding the duo crushed sunflower seed and a teensy drop of honey when the time comes. I'm quite excited!

[Whitelotus]

She will lay a few eggs as time goes on but after a while she will need some protein to start laying eggs at a better rate. Just be sure to find a good protein source like a cricket leg.

[TopTierTetra]

I'll keep that in mind. I think a small piece of cooked chicken should do the job for protein until the colony gets bigger, I dont want to buy mealworms for a tiny colony cuz they'll go to waste

[JoeHostile1]

You can just freeze the extra mealworms.