19 replies to this topic

[Connectimyrmex]

Hi,

I don't know if anybody has done this before, but I was able to get some Solenopsis Geminata alate to mate artificially. I'll share the method I did. Don't read this if you get too squeamish .

 

I chilled the female alates and gently held the male between two toothpicks. After removing the queen, I  held the male's gaster to the female's gaster, eventually seeing the male latch on for a bit. I couldn't tell if it worked, but the queen's gaster is looking significantly larger. Also the queens broke off their wings and are grooming a lot.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading this!

 

 

 

 

[Nathant2131]

   Wow, that is amazing! How are the dealate queens doing right now?

[antgenius123]

Wow! Can you make an update and share pictures?

[Kevin]

Interesting. Definitely update this, I'll have to try this out.

[Connectimyrmex]

My dealate queens are doing great now! They are grooming each other and laying eggs (I think? It's been 3 days since I did that, and I just posted what happened late. they fly at 8:00 pm). 

 

Photo:

http://imgur.com/0G5GXiF

 

 

They all clustered into a ball. It's pretty impressive that all of them can fit in that small of a space...

 

Also, they are currently in a dog squeaker cut in half buried in dampened shredded paper rodent bedding. I think they like it in there better that in a test tube.

[drtrmiller]

When nuptial flights are imminent and males are excited, some light touching will cause them to eject their mating plug. Not sure how useful this would be, but I suppose with the right tools and technique, it's certainly possible to artificially inseminate ants, in the same or similar way as bees. Inducing mating behavior, however, is really hit or miss.

Edited by drtrmiller, January 3 2017 - 8:46 PM.

[Serafine]

With how many males do Solenopsis females usually mate? Not that they run out of sperm after a year...

[Connectimyrmex]

I mated my queens with one and a half males each. I used a male ant twice for the half.

 

If mine run out of sperm, I will reapply.

[antgenius123]

Usually this works 65 percent of the time with this species and leafcutters

Edited by antgenius123, January 4 2017 - 1:47 AM.

[Alabama Anter]

Usually this works 65 percent of the time with this species and leafcutters

And how do u know? Artificial breeding can be achieved, but it is usually hard to direct the exact conditions, unless they are going on right then and there.

[drtrmiller]

With how many males do Solenopsis females usually mate? Not that they run out of sperm after a year...

Just one. The mating plug inhibits fertilization from more than one male.

[antgenius123]

 

Usually this works 65 percent of the time with this species and leafcutters

And how do u know? Artificial breeding can be achieved, but it is usually hard to direct the exact conditions, unless they are going on right then and there.

 

http://www.antweb.or...ton-ma-usa.html

[antgenius123]

 

Usually this works 65 percent of the time with this species and leafcutters

And how do u know? Artificial breeding can be achieved, but it is usually hard to direct the exact conditions, unless they are going on right then and there.

 

Yes,respectively the natural cues of that season also play a part

[Alabama Anter]

Usually this works 65 percent of the time with this species and leafcutters

And how do u know? Artificial breeding can be achieved, but it is usually hard to direct the exact conditions, unless they are going on right then and there.

http://www.antweb.or...ton-ma-usa.html

Thanks for the link! Very useful, but 65% seems over exaggerated. And yes natural cues will play a huge part in artificial breeding

[antgenius123]

I agree it does sound slightly over-exaggerated

[ctantkeeper]

Hi,

I don't know if anybody has done this before, but I was able to get some Solenopsis Geminata alate to mate artificially. I'll share the method I did. Don't read this if you get too squeamish .

 

I chilled the female alates and gently held the male between two toothpicks. After removing the queen, I  held the male's gaster to the female's gaster, eventually seeing the male latch on for a bit. I couldn't tell if it worked, but the queen's gaster is looking significantly larger. Also the queens broke off their wings and are grooming a lot.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading this!

Wow, that is awesome!!!! I will try that with other species when mating season ushers in!!!

[Nexus]

 

With how many males do Solenopsis females usually mate? Not that they run out of sperm after a year...

Just one. The mating plug inhibits fertilization from more than one male.

Are you sure about that ? The works of L.Passera seemed to say that queens could mate with several males, each of the male's sperm being seperated in different vesicles.

[Connectimyrmex]

Oh, that's why 

 

 

With how many males do Solenopsis females usually mate? Not that they run out of sperm after a year...

Just one. The mating plug inhibits fertilization from more than one male.

 

Oh, that's why my queens pooped out a little bit of sperm.

[Connectimyrmex]

Also, all of my queens just laid eggs. I also caught new queens from the Aina Haina tennis courts (a tennis court around the Hawaii Kai area), but they haven't shed their wings yet. I wonder if the queens are mated, because they look quite bloated. I put them with the current group and they are getting along fine. 

I separated one queen (the fattest looking one) and am seeing if she will make an egg cluster. The large group can't really make a egg cluster because there are too many queens to organize the eggs. I see them tending the eggs though.

[Connectimyrmex]

I just introduced a random wild worker to one of the queens. The worker is grooming and feeding the queen, I hope the worker will live until that queen has eggs. that queen happens to be the most easily stressed.