Lonely Ant Queen

Discussions about the care and keeping of ants

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KdenKden
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2018 11:23 pm
Location: CA

Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 50155Post KdenKden
Wed Sep 12, 2018 11:26 pm

My two pheidole queens started fighting so I separated them into their own test tubes. All the workers died so the queens are by themselves. Do you think they'll still survive on their own, with me providing food.
Currently housing Solenopsis Molesta and Brachymyrmex patagonicus.

Darkhero0987
Posts: 80
Joined: Thu Jul 12, 2018 8:12 pm
Location: Kingston, Ontario

Re: Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 50162Post Darkhero0987
Thu Sep 13, 2018 2:36 am

KdenKden wrote:
Wed Sep 12, 2018 11:26 pm
My two pheidole queens started fighting so I separated them into their own test tubes. All the workers died so the queens are by themselves. Do you think they'll still survive on their own, with me providing food.
I dont think they can without they're workers sadly I could be wrong but from what I read they really dont if they lose all of them
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Keeping

JoeHostile1
Posts: 409
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:51 am
Location: Canada
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Re: Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 50203Post JoeHostile1
Thu Sep 13, 2018 11:58 am

I don’t see any reason why she can’t start again if you're providing sugar and protein. This happened to my founding Camponotus Turkastanus colony; she had 4 workers and they all died (I accidentally squished them), but she still had larvae. She just had a worker born the other day. She lost all her workers July 15 and the worker wasn’t born until sept 10 so almost 2 months she made it with no workers to help her.

I also had a 2 year old Lasius Neoniger colony that lost all brood and workers during hibernation. The queen was barely barely clinging to life and could barely move for days. I introduced her to about 5 workers that I had from my parasitic claviger set ups and she made a full recovery.

The real question you should be asking is why the workers died, because this is very unusual and a mass death suggests something in their Environment caused it. Or since you had 2 Queens together maybe the workers were trying to kill one queen and the queen ended up killing all the workers that attacked her.
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans * Lasius Neoniger * Lasius Claviger * Messor Aciculatus * Myrmica Rubra * Camponotus Novaeboracensis * Camponotus Turkastanus * Pheidole Pallidula

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSfFtn6RegZ3F1NdS1g08NA

KdenKden
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2018 11:23 pm
Location: CA

Re: Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 50297Post KdenKden
Fri Sep 14, 2018 4:04 pm

JoeHostile1 wrote:
Thu Sep 13, 2018 11:58 am
I don’t see any reason why she can’t start again if you're providing sugar and protein. This happened to my founding Camponotus Turkastanus colony; she had 4 workers and they all died (I accidentally squished them), but she still had larvae. She just had a worker born the other day. She lost all her workers July 15 and the worker wasn’t born until sept 10 so almost 2 months she made it with no workers to help her.

I also had a 2 year old Lasius Neoniger colony that lost all brood and workers during hibernation. The queen was barely barely clinging to life and could barely move for days. I introduced her to about 5 workers that I had from my parasitic claviger set ups and she made a full recovery.

The real question you should be asking is why the workers died, because this is very unusual and a mass death suggests something in their Environment caused it. Or since you had 2 Queens together maybe the workers were trying to kill one queen and the queen ended up killing all the workers that attacked her.
Yeah I believed the queen and workers fought so that put a dent on the colony. I separated one of the queens and she laid two eggs. Still not sure what to really feed her tho. Thankyou for your advice!
Currently housing Solenopsis Molesta and Brachymyrmex patagonicus.

PwnerPie
Posts: 105
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:59 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 50307Post PwnerPie
Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:09 pm

small drop of honey, doesnt mold so it makes it easy to just leave in there. and a small piece of a meal worm so she can stock up to feed the new larvae
Keeper of:
1x Formica Pacifica
2x Camponotus Modoc
1x Tetramorium Immigrans
2x Lasius Sp

Founding:
3x Lasius Sp
2x Formica Argentea
2x Myrmica Rubra

GAN Farmer: 4 Colonies sold
Goal: Supply school science classes with colonies for learning.

JoeHostile1
Posts: 409
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:51 am
Location: Canada
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Re: Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 50308Post JoeHostile1
Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:14 pm

KdenKden wrote:
Fri Sep 14, 2018 4:04 pm

Yeah I believed the queen and workers fought so that put a dent on the colony. I separated one of the queens and she laid two eggs. Still not sure what to really feed her tho. Thankyou for your advice!
Mix up some sugar water in a cup consisting of 50% sugar 50% water. Then cut a cotton ball in half and soak it in the sugar water. Make sure it’s wet, but squeeeze it so that water isn’t dripping out of it. You don’t want the cotton ball to form a puddle in the test tube because this will be a big mess.Then put it in the test tube. Don’t push it right at the Queen, she won’t like that. Just leave it at the end closest to the cotton plug, if she wants it she will come get it. You can also give her a piece of a bug, cricket leg, fruit fly ect. She might not be interested in the bug at all. If she tries to stuff the bug underneath the cotton plug then she doesn’t want it. Either way remove the bug After a couple days because it will mold.

About every two weeks I would refresh the sugar water cotton ball and give her a bug piece. But there’s a good chance she will not ever want the bugs so those can only stay in the tube for a couple days. You want to do this as gently as possible because the queen will freak out every time you remove the cotton plug. As soon as a worker is born, Attach an outworld to the test tube so you don’t have to feed the ants in the test tube.
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans * Lasius Neoniger * Lasius Claviger * Messor Aciculatus * Myrmica Rubra * Camponotus Novaeboracensis * Camponotus Turkastanus * Pheidole Pallidula

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSfFtn6RegZ3F1NdS1g08NA

JoeHostile1
Posts: 409
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2018 6:51 am
Location: Canada
Contact:

Re: Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 50309Post JoeHostile1
Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:15 pm

A honey water mixture or drop of honey like pwnerpie said will also work great.
Last edited by JoeHostile1 on Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Keeping:
Tetramorium immigrans * Lasius Neoniger * Lasius Claviger * Messor Aciculatus * Myrmica Rubra * Camponotus Novaeboracensis * Camponotus Turkastanus * Pheidole Pallidula

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSfFtn6RegZ3F1NdS1g08NA

AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 50311Post AntsDakota
Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:19 pm

They can survive, as long as you feed them. Queens of young colonies are not fully dependent on their workers and help taking care of brood.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

KdenKden
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Jun 03, 2018 11:23 pm
Location: CA

Re: Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 50331Post KdenKden
Fri Sep 14, 2018 6:42 pm

JoeHostile1 wrote:
Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:14 pm
KdenKden wrote:
Fri Sep 14, 2018 4:04 pm

Yeah I believed the queen and workers fought so that put a dent on the colony. I separated one of the queens and she laid two eggs. Still not sure what to really feed her tho. Thankyou for your advice!
Mix up some sugar water in a cup consisting of 50% sugar 50% water. Then cut a cotton ball in half and soak it in the sugar water. Make sure it’s wet, but squeeeze it so that water isn’t dripping out of it. You don’t want the cotton ball to form a puddle in the test tube because this will be a big mess.Then put it in the test tube. Don’t push it right at the Queen, she won’t like that. Just leave it at the end closest to the cotton plug, if she wants it she will come get it. You can also give her a piece of a bug, cricket leg, fruit fly ect. She might not be interested in the bug at all. If she tries to stuff the bug underneath the cotton plug then she doesn’t want it. Either way remove the bug After a couple days because it will mold.

About every two weeks I would refresh the sugar water cotton ball and give her a bug piece. But there’s a good chance she will not ever want the bugs so those can only stay in the tube for a couple days. You want to do this as gently as possible because the queen will freak out every time you remove the cotton plug. As soon as a worker is born, Attach an outworld to the test tube so you don’t have to feed the ants in the test tube.
Thankyou very much! I will try this and provide updates on this thread!
Currently housing Solenopsis Molesta and Brachymyrmex patagonicus.

Boomdale
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Jul 03, 2018 8:49 am
Location: Tennessee

Re: Lonely Ant Queen

Post: # 51201Post Boomdale
Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:46 pm

Any update?
Nylanderia Sp.
Pheidole Sp.

Founding - Cremagastor & Solonopsis Invicta

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