11 replies to this topic

[greendragon]

Was given a 5 gallon bucket yesterday 5-29-2020 of Red Harvester Ants 1/2 full, from a contractor friend who got them from his job site before paving, it contained 3 Winged Queens 5 Winged Drones 10 larvae, pupa, 200 or so workers removed the dirt, placed them in 16x12 plastic tub with 5 test tubes all open end with water n cotton which they can enter n leave,, one empty no water, one 4'' laboratory-style dish covered formicarium n dandelion seeds n honey, small heat wire under one corner. Is this enough??  should I do something different??  Or will the colony Fail without a fertile Queen?? Can i mate one of the queens with a drone from another Colony that i have then return her?? Can Californicus mate with Occidentalis??

Edited by greendragon, May 30 2020 - 7:40 PM.

[Amazant]

If the colony doesn’t have a fertile queen no more workers will be produced so it will die off, however you could try to mate the drones with the queens. I’m not sure how successful it is with Pogonomyrmex but I’ve done it with a prenelopis Queen this year. I did it by take a drone and Queen and outing them in their own test tube and i saw them mate almost immediately, so you could try that.

[TheMicroPlanet]

I don't think mating the drones with the queens from the same colony would work. Ants tend to avoid inbreeding. 

[Amazant]

I don't think mating the drones with the queens from the same colony would work. Ants tend to avoid inbreeding.

I think it would be worth a try, I know a few species that mate within the nest however I haven’t heard of Pogonomyrmex inbreeding within the nest.

[RushmoreAnts]

Pogonomyrmex definitely will not.

[Ants_Dakota]

If There is no mated queens, your only hope is catching or buying a queen of the same species and introduce it to the colony. I would just assume one of the queens was mated. Do you know if this a dug up colony, a ant keeper raised colony, or a colony with workers and queens dumped together?

[ANTdrew]

Somebody just dug up part of a colony for you in a bucket. This is not the way to begin ant keeping, no offense.

[Ants_Dakota]

Try to find an ant keeper in your state to sell you a colony. They might even have a queen to sell you. Am i right to say that pogonomyrmex is not pologynus, so that is not normal to have 3 queens?

Edited by Ants_Dakota, May 30 2020 - 6:17 PM.

[ANTdrew]

Winged queens and males indicate that these are reproductive offspring of the colony that will now never partake in a nuptial flight.

[greendragon]

If the colony doesn’t have a fertile queen no more workers will be produced so it will die off, however you could try to mate the drones with the queens. I’m not sure how successful it is with Pogonomyrmex but I’ve done it with a prenelopis Queen this year. I did it by take a drone and Queen and outing them in their own test tube and i saw them mate almost immediately, so you could try that.

ok so i took your advice n took one of the Drones flying around my house from one of my older colony's n one of the winged Queens from the construction site n put them in a test tube, they went at it straight up by morning her wings had dropped.  i never thought you could do that.. i never even tried i always used my den with a skylight, thought they had to fly, that's what every one says..  done eight so far this way thanx my man

[Amazant]

If the colony doesn’t have a fertile queen no more workers will be produced so it will die off, however you could try to mate the drones with the queens. I’m not sure how successful it is with Pogonomyrmex but I’ve done it with a prenelopis Queen this year. I did it by take a drone and Queen and outing them in their own test tube and i saw them mate almost immediately, so you could try that.

ok so i took your advice n took one of the Drones flying around my house from one of my older colony's n one of the winged Queens from the construction site n put them in a test tube, they went at it straight up by morning her wings had dropped.  i never thought you could do that.. i never even tried i always used my den with a skylight, thought they had to fly, that's what every one says..  done eight so far this way thanx my man

That’s really cool, I’m glad it worked.

[TennesseeAnts]

If the colony doesn’t have a fertile queen no more workers will be produced so it will die off, however you could try to mate the drones with the queens. I’m not sure how successful it is with Pogonomyrmex but I’ve done it with a prenelopis Queen this year. I did it by take a drone and Queen and outing them in their own test tube and i saw them mate almost immediately, so you could try that.

ok so i took your advice n took one of the Drones flying around my house from one of my older colony's n one of the winged Queens from the construction site n put them in a test tube, they went at it straight up by morning her wings had dropped.  i never thought you could do that.. i never even tried i always used my den with a skylight, thought they had to fly, that's what every one says..  done eight so far this way thanx my man

Certain ants do not need to fly. Pogonomyrmex is one such genus. I've had success with breeding Aphaenogaster, too.