New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
Moderator: ooper01
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- Posts: 10
- Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2021 5:03 pm
- Location: Virovitica
New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
Hello! I have recently caught my 3rd ant queen, but I have trouble identifying it. She had thrown her wings away so I assumed she was fertile. I placed her in a classic test tube setup but after a week when I checked on her she had almost picked apart all the cotton and was trying to escape. I did some research but couldn't determine her species so I relocated her into a clean test tube and fed her some honey water, her gaster was very large after that. The last time I checked on her (yesterday) she had picked only a little cotton and had stopped trying to escape, but her gaster seems very small in comparison to what it had been after I fed her. Today I saw a youtube video that had a picture of an ant queen that looked very similar to mine, the video was talking about social parasitic queens. The picture attached was taken right after I fed her a week ago. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ey3MJmHDUpmijxiZ8
Re: New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
Most lasius species will look the same for a newbie so your ant is most likely not parasitic most likely just a different type of lasius. If you could post some photos it would help us identifie it more easily.
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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- Posts: 10
- Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2021 5:03 pm
- Location: Virovitica
Re: New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
Thank you for your reply, I will put up more pictures. I also noticed she had a rectangular bump in her gaster, is that normal? I also noticed that her thorax seems a little bit small in comparison to her gaster. Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ey3MJmHDUpmijxiZ8
Re: New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
That is most certainly not lasius but it is camponotus.
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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- Posts: 10
- Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2021 5:03 pm
- Location: Virovitica
Re: New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
Thank you! I successfully identified it as a Camponotus fallax, but what could be the reason for her pulling the cotton out? Is she claustral or semi-claustral, from what I have gathered no camponotus is semi-claustral, in other words they are all claustral. Is that true?
Re: New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
All camponotus species are fully claustral and almost all the time queens try to escape by pulling at the cotton.
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]
-
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2021 5:03 pm
- Location: Virovitica
Re: New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
Why are they trying to escape?
Re: New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
If you where stuffed in a small tube would you want to escape?
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]
-
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2021 5:03 pm
- Location: Virovitica
Re: New antkeeper asking for help identifying ant queen species
That's a good point, I expanded her tube and she is fine now, just had her first batch of eggs
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