Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Earlier today, I lifted up a likely looking rock and found a big batch of ants, including winged reproductives, right at the bottom of the depression, about 4 inches down. After about a minute of...
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Update: I am now almost certain that the queen I found is a new one that swarmed too late last year to start a family and who overwintered in or near an established colony. I also now think she's a...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Twas a failure. I saw the worker nipping at the queens face (IE nipping, quick forward action), which I consider aggresive, so I removed it.
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Well, it's not always a sure thing, especially on the first try. I frequently have to do this more than once. Biddybot: Some queens won't eat until they've produced workers, but it sounds like yours...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Do you think it will work if I try again?What behaviour denotes its working?What behaviour denotes its not?
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
It's really up to you whether or not you want to try again, but as for the other part:Aggressive behavior is denotated by the type of activity you encountered.It has worked if the ants seem to ignore...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Well, the worker was very agitated. The queen would keep her mandibles open over the worker, like a warning. She would also push it around. Before I removed it, I saw the worker peck at the queens...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Those are the preliminary stages of aggressive behavior, it would probably increase from there. I would try until you find that this problem is gone. (Or simply try boosting. It's 100% effective, and...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Heh.Anyways, I reintroduced it after re-freezing. First it panicked, but again the queen suppresed it. The worker sat still while the queen, with my lens, looked as if she was licking her head, then...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Well, I would simply keep a close eye on them. The worker may not be able to outright kill the queen, but she still possess mandible that could lock shut on a leg. They won't let go until either they...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
I beleive the queen abondoned her brood... from this stress.
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
OK, they are sitting next to each other (the worker is on the top of the tube, the queen on the bottom). The worker is rather ignorant of the queen, while the queen keeps pushing it with her face, and...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Since the result of freezing is the destruction of the odor on the ant that is frozen, you are essentially assigning it a 'neutral' affiliation. The queen probably doesn't know what exactly to think...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
well, unusual to me, the queens antannae, instead of hanging high looking around with them, are low, in a delta shape around her head, looking around.Do the workers have glands producing the odor, IE,...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
I think this is simply a more intense form of scrutiny, she's making sure no other smells get in the way. I've seen them do this too, and it's certainly not a form of aggression.
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
Is it possible that when the queen licks the worker the worker might take offense and engage in acts which seem like aggression but arent?So far it seems successful, if it works, can I add 3 workers...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
In such a small environment I wouldn't add anymore than one at a time. The worker is probably just as confused as the queen is, so I don't think it will become aggressive if it hasn't already, but...
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No time to update my ant-keeping journal before I go on days off, but just thought you'd like to know that the queen that started this thread has dug about an inch down into the soil in her jar and...
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
what i wanna know is how do u tell the difference between a new queen and a mother queen?
View ArticleRe: Help! Caught Queen, But Workers Don't Want Her
I don't know why you posted that in this thread, but a new queen can be either a queen that hasn't mated yet, or a queen that has just mated and is founding her colony. A mother queen is a queen that...
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Sounds like a classic case of a shared home...its just until now the large colony had no idea there was another queen of another species living in its shadow....since the stone was lift you sepperated...
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