Dealate ID request, I believe she is semi-caulostrial

[SolenopsisKeeper]

I thought smaller ants would develop a bit faster than bigger ants, why would they be making reproductives at this stage, unless their unfertilized and making drones because of it.

Under certain conditions, yes. In regular conditions, workers take around 3-5 weeks and majors taking one or two months(without heat).

Some pheidole do get majors very early on, so it is a possibility that those eggs may be small larvae(hard to see with ***** eye, maybe even impossible to see first instar larvae in Pheidole) that have received the pheromone to develop into a major.

It would be so cool seeing a major early on, I think Pheidole majors are particularly great looking. When I look at the batch of brood all I see are white dots, some might be larvae and some might be eggs, but I can't tell. And I don't want to take to much time observing, because I don't want to stress either one of the queens, because they might start eating the brood.

One of my pheidole colonies has 20ish workers and is getting a major . I love the look of them though. When you said colony, I thought there was workers… anyway, my Pheidole raising looks like this


Me: catch queen
Queen lays eggs
2 weeks later, still has eggs, I get worried
1 week later, I see one larvae(tiny)
1 week later, she has mature larvae and pupae, and I am confused how she went to eggs to pupae so quick.
2 weeks later, pupae actually hatch

In my colonies, the fast part of brood development is the larval stages.

[JaydenScheepers]

Under certain conditions, yes. In regular conditions, workers take around 3-5 weeks and majors taking one or two months(without heat).

Some pheidole do get majors very early on, so it is a possibility that those eggs may be small larvae(hard to see with ***** eye, maybe even impossible to see first instar larvae in Pheidole) that have received the pheromone to develop into a major.

It would be so cool seeing a major early on, I think Pheidole majors are particularly great looking. When I look at the batch of brood all I see are white dots, some might be larvae and some might be eggs, but I can't tell. And I don't want to take to much time observing, because I don't want to stress either one of the queens, because they might start eating the brood.

One of my pheidole colonies has 20ish workers and is getting a major . I love the look of them though. When you said colony, I thought there was workers… anyway, my Pheidole raising looks like this


Me: catch queen
Queen lays eggs
2 weeks later, still has eggs, I get worried
1 week later, I see one larvae(tiny)
1 week later, she has mature larvae and pupae, and I am confused how she went to eggs to pupae so quick.
2 weeks later, pupae actually hatch

In my colonies, the fast part of brood development is the larval stages.

For ants it's like a trend that eggs take so long.

[JaydenScheepers]

So I tried something very risky with my Odontoponera queen and some people may even call it reckless, because it was, but I was curious. I decided to catch a wild Odontoponera worker and put her in my queen's out world.
I knew for this to work they shouldn't be stressed when meeting each other, so I didn't force her into the test tube. Instead I let her calm and explore the out world, the worker eventually found the entrance of the test tube and I watched as the queen turned around and waved her antenna at the worker who did the same then backed away.
There was a reservoir of sugar water near the test tube, and as the worker was drinking, the queen became curious and cautiously wandered out towards the worker waving her antenna. She then touched the worker's gaster with her antenna as she came from behind, however the worker didn't notice her immediately. But she did notice eventually and calmly turned around, they then waved their antenna in each other's faces, but after a few seconds the worker turned around and went in a different direction.
30 minutes later I returned to check up on them and I saw they were in the test tube together, sharing the water source. I then proceeded to place a part of a roach outside of the test tube, the worker shortly came out and narrowly missed the roach fragment and beelined for the sugar water, while the queen stayed inside and slowly crept outside, then swiped it and wrestled down the struggling roach fragment. I went to bed and the next morning I checked up on them, the queen was busy eating the roach in the test tube, while the worker was out foraging outside. I checked up on them about 3 times throughout the day and always found the queen in the test tube, and the worker outside, I even saw the worker barley inside the test tube once waving her antenna at the queen after leaving. I thought the queen had exiled the worker, but just before I went to bed I checked up on them again and they were both inside the test tube eating the roach together.

Maybe this means they have accepted each other, and maybe the extra help could encourage the queen to start egg laying, however she could be infertile.

[SolenopsisKeeper]

So I tried something very risky with my Odontoponera queen and some people may even call it reckless, because it was, but I was curious. I decided to catch a wild Odontoponera worker and put her in my queen's out world.
I knew for this to work they shouldn't be stressed when meeting each other, so I didn't force her into the test tube. Instead I let her calm and explore the out world, the worker eventually found the entrance of the test tube and I watched as the queen turned around and waved her antenna at the worker who did the same then backed away.
There was a reservoir of sugar water near the test tube, and as the worker was drinking, the queen became curious and cautiously wandered out towards the worker waving her antenna. She then touched the worker's gaster with her antenna as she came from behind, however the worker didn't notice her immediately. But she did notice eventually and calmly turned around, they then waved their antenna in each other's faces, but after a few seconds the worker turned around and went in a different direction.
30 minutes later I returned to check up on them and I saw they were in the test tube together, sharing the water source. I then proceeded to place a part of a roach outside of the test tube, the worker shortly came out and narrowly missed the roach fragment and beelined for the sugar water, while the queen stayed inside and slowly crept outside, then swiped it and wrestled down the struggling roach fragment. I went to bed and the next morning I checked up on them, the queen was busy eating the roach in the test tube, while the worker was out foraging outside. I checked up on them about 3 times throughout the day and always found the queen in the test tube, and the worker outside, I even saw the worker barley inside the test tube once waving her antenna at the queen after leaving. I thought the queen had exiled the worker, but just before I went to bed I checked up on them again and they were both inside the test tube eating the roach together.

Maybe this means they have accepted each other, and maybe the extra help could encourage the queen to start egg laying, however she could be infertile.

I must do it…


So I had a colony of Odontomachus that died in diapause but a few workers. At the time, I didn’t know this so I took the tube out of the outworld and tossed it and in went a founding queen. Next time I checked on the queen she had two workers, which looked dead… until they moved to help the queen eat.I assume in of both our situations, workers lost the nest scent and we’re accepted

[JaydenScheepers]

I guess if you have a queen to serve, then you have a queen to serve.

[Polyrhachiskeeper]

I looks like i have the same species in my area, but dont Odontoponera have big jaws that can open 180 degrees? Because the ants in my area are very similar but dont seem to have those jaws that open 180 degrees and have a sort of trail of workers to on fro the food.

[JaydenScheepers]

I looks like i have the same species in my area, but dont Odontoponera have big jaws that can open 180 degrees? Because the ants in my area are very similar but dont seem to have those jaws that open 180 degrees and have a sort of trail of workers to on fro the food.

One 180 degrees? Are you not talking about Odontomachus? What does their jaws look like?

[Polyrhachiskeeper]

Sorry, got confused with Odontoponera and Odontomachus.

[SYUTEO]

I looks like i have the same species in my area, but dont Odontoponera have big jaws that can open 180 degrees? Because the ants in my area are very similar but dont seem to have those jaws that open 180 degrees and have a sort of trail of workers to on fro the food.

Those are two different ants, Odontoponera are very common to uncommon and are found throughout south and southeast asia and only comprises of two species (four if you count subspecies), O. denticulata which is the more common species and are black in color and O. transversa which is rarer are are red in color.

Odontomachus are the ants with jaws that open 180 degrees and are found all over the tropics and subtropics and comprises of 76 species and vary in color and size.

[Polyrhachiskeeper]

I looks like i have the same species in my area, but dont Odontoponera have big jaws that can open 180 degrees? Because the ants in my area are very similar but dont seem to have those jaws that open 180 degrees and have a sort of trail of workers to on fro the food.

Those are two different ants, Odontoponera are very common to uncommon and are found throughout south and southeast asia and only comprises of two species (four if you count subspecies), O. denticulata which is the more common species and are black in color and O. transversa which is rarer are are red in color.

Odontomachus are the ants with jaws that open 180 degrees and are found all over the tropics and subtropics and comprises of 76 species and vary in color and size.

Got it, do Odontoponera really just have 2 species?! I believe i see them lots of times in my area.