Formica123's Pheidoloe Pallidula

[formica123]

Hi guys!
I recently collected 2 winged queens of this species.
They're in a test tube with a heck of a lot of brood!
I'm not sure if they've mates but they've got larvae so I'll know soon.

[antscanada]

Hi guys!
I recently collected 2 winged queens of this species.
They're in a test tube with a heck of a lot of brood!
I'm not sure if they've mates but they've got larvae so I'll know soon.

A lot of brood already in their larval stage to me points to being fertilized. I find unfertilized queens tend to have brood that never develops (she may be eating them or they simply don't hatch or they take a long time to develop into larvae) and the eggs seem rather scattered about in the test tube as if she isn't caring for them. But anytime I see the queen nurturing a nice pile of developing brood, that to me sounds like she's a fertilized queen.

Mikey

[formica123]

Where did you find them? How big are they?

The queens are about 7mm

[formica123]

Hi guys!
I recently collected 2 winged queens of this species.
They're in a test tube with a heck of a lot of brood!
I'm not sure if they've mates but they've got larvae so I'll know soon.

A lot of brood already in their larval stage to me points to being fertilized. I find unfertilized queens tend to have brood that never develops (she may be eating them or they simply don't hatch or they take a long time to develop into larvae) and the eggs seem rather scattered about in the test tube as if she isn't caring for them. But anytime I see the queen nurturing a nice pile of developing brood, that to me sounds like she's a fertilized queen.

Mikey

I think ones mates and ones not as there is a pile with larvae and then loads scattered around the tube

[formica123]

Larvae are quite big now! Not long before we get the first workers I hope