New queen, eggs not developing after 3 months

[JoeHostile1]

Wow 7 months. How long did you have the heating cable attached for? That gives me hope for a camponotus species I have for 5 months that although has laid eggs a couple times still has no larvae or workers.

As far as a queen only laying male alates that happens when the queen is not mated/unfertilized. Infertile means that the queen is unable to produce offspring for whatever reason (either a problem with her or her eggs).

[opineault]

Wow 7 months. How long did you have the heating cable attached for? That gives me hope for a camponotus species I have for 5 months that although has laid eggs a couple times still has no larvae or workers.

As far as a queen only laying male alates that happens when the queen is not mated/unfertilized. Infertile means that the queen is unable to produce offspring for whatever reason (either a problem with her or her eggs).

Ah my mistake, yes I meant unfertilized not infertile.

I actually still have the heating cable now. What I did is I took a small box and taped the cable along the inside walls. And I have a temperature sensor in the box with the test tube. Inside the box is approx 29 degrees C vs the 22 in the room.

[JoeHostile1]

I’m just wondering because you said she was unproductive for 7 months on how many of those months or weeks was the heating cable attached? The whole 7 months?

[opineault]

I’m just wondering because you said she was unproductive for 7 months on how many of those months or weeks was the heating cable attached? The whole 7 months?

I caught her June 1st and setup the heating cable around the end of September when it was suggested she might have been too cold and gone into hibernation. And now just over 3 months later is when this first nanitic showed up. I had essentially given up on her making a colony by then but didn't want to get rid of her.

[TriumphAnt]

So happy that you were patient enough to enjoy this! Seeing first ninantics is so exciting lol Also I’m pretty sure infertile eggs develop into males? So even if she was infertile, her eggs would just develop into males instead of workers.

[PwnerPie]

Congratz! Camponotus can be very very slow in starting a colony. I have seen it more than once where they will lay eggs and they not grow or they dont lay until after their first hibernations, even if they were caught in early summer.


They are totally worth it tho! When they get majors it will blow your mind! haha. "Holy **** that ant is almost as big as the queen!!"

[harvesterant]

It may have been that the queen was too stressed. It is preferable to keep queen in darkness, and only check on them every week.