Invicta Budding

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SolenopsisKeeper
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Invicta Budding

Post: # 85825Post SolenopsisKeeper
Sun Dec 12, 2021 11:50 am

My S. invicta colony that has 3 queens, and 150+ workers, that had one queen at entrance of the nest that appeared to being stung by workers. I removed this queen, along with a few workers and placed them in a test tube. Is this normal for wild-caught S. invicta colonies? I know in the wild, S. invicta colonies bud, but this early in the colonies development. Or was this simply queens challenging others powers…?
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AntsLuxembourg
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Re: Invicta Budding

Post: # 85868Post AntsLuxembourg
Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:25 am

I've never heard of the the term bud. Could you please explain for me and those that are not so well informed?
Doing some proper research is the best way to start an antcolony.

Need help or want to help? https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=18153#p70566

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SolenopsisKeeper
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Re: Invicta Budding

Post: # 85869Post SolenopsisKeeper
Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:38 am

AntsLuxembourg wrote:
Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:25 am
I've never heard of the the term bud. Could you please explain for me and those that are not so well informed?
I am quoting a website
“ Budding occurs when a queen ant and her workers leave the current nest site, walking to a new site and forming a new colony. The queen ant will then produce offspring, which the workers will then take care of. ”
If I am correct S. invicta does “bud” or split colonies.
I am correct here
“One fire ant colony can split into several in a process called “budding,” where multiple mature ant colonies“
I saw the queen at the entrance of the test tube, looked as she was being attacked, and it also appeared as if workers were fighting. This colony has been in captivity since early November….. I would like to know what was happening at the tube entrance….
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AntsLuxembourg
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Re: Invicta Budding

Post: # 85870Post AntsLuxembourg
Mon Dec 13, 2021 7:48 am

Were they really fighting or could it be that the workers were just pulling the queen out?
There could be multiple reasons.

1. The queen is actually budding.
I doubt this since I would assume that she would take some workers with her and then just walk out with some brood or just the workers to a new location. Also your setup would need to be massive and the colony too.
2. The queen got into contact with dead ants and the workers were trying to bury her.
Much more likely since this can actually happen. Workers that are smelling like dead ants need to clean themself before reentering the nest or colony otherwise the other workers will just keep throwing them on the garbage pile. ^^
3. She is just weird.
4. Maybe some other unknown reason

About the term budding, it makes sense. I remember hearing / reading it in regards to plants or in minecraft, budding amethyst where amethyst shards just regrow.
Doing some proper research is the best way to start an antcolony.

Need help or want to help? https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=18153#p70566

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Antloverhuman
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Re: Invicta Budding

Post: # 85873Post Antloverhuman
Mon Dec 13, 2021 9:14 am

I am also going to add a little thing that i have noticed other wild ant colonies doing
Maybe your queen was rejected by the colony(maybe she wasnt laying any eggs or cooperating with the rest of the colony) and the ants decided to execute her. But if you just picked them up and transferred them to a test tube setup and the queen is still fine and the workers aren't attacking then it would not be the reason
Ants I have-
camponotus compressus colony- the shadow warriors.
Pls just let me have a tetramorium colony

SolenopsisKeeper
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Re: Invicta Budding

Post: # 85876Post SolenopsisKeeper
Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:18 am

I tried to merge them back, and they were all excited last night. They took her with the other queen, and today I woke to find a dead queen in the dead ant pile…. They did indeed kill her, but why? And, she was laying eggs, as her old test tube where she had 6 workers had eggs. Curiosity killed the queen…
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Antloverhuman
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Re: Invicta Budding

Post: # 85891Post Antloverhuman
Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:21 pm

Maybe that queen wasnt 'worthy' to keep in the colony probably because the other queens were better than her
Ants I have-
camponotus compressus colony- the shadow warriors.
Pls just let me have a tetramorium colony

AntsLuxembourg
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Re: Invicta Budding

Post: # 85897Post AntsLuxembourg
Tue Dec 14, 2021 3:45 am

Maybe the queen was Oligogyne. This means that the queens share a nest, however they don't tolerate each other and are seperated by space. Out in the wild they would be able to just move to a very far away part of the nest and live there but in a normal antkeeper setup this is rarely possible.

Btw learned that term in the AC Antkeeper Handbook but I do have trouble remembering the exact name every time xD
Doing some proper research is the best way to start an antcolony.

Need help or want to help? https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=18153#p70566

Currently not keeping any ants anymore.

SolenopsisKeeper
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Re: Invicta Budding

Post: # 85901Post SolenopsisKeeper
Tue Dec 14, 2021 7:02 am

AntsLuxembourg wrote:
Tue Dec 14, 2021 3:45 am
Maybe the queen was Oligogyne. This means that the queens share a nest, however they don't tolerate each other and are seperated by space. Out in the wild they would be able to just move to a very far away part of the nest and live there but in a normal antkeeper setup this is rarely possible.

Btw learned that term in the AC Antkeeper Handbook but I do have trouble remembering the exact name every time xD
Could a queen randomly do this? They use to sit on top of each other in the nest, and there is still 2 living queens. They literally sit on top of each other. Could the workers have killed her as I saw it happening last time with several workers stinging her.
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AntsLuxembourg
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Re: Invicta Budding

Post: # 85907Post AntsLuxembourg
Tue Dec 14, 2021 7:26 am

I would say it was most likely the queens if it was indeed a case of Oligogyne queens. Or something was wrong with the queen.
Doing some proper research is the best way to start an antcolony.

Need help or want to help? https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=18153#p70566

Currently not keeping any ants anymore.

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