7 replies to this topic

[Foogoo]

Has anyone else noticed this?

 

My Camponotus queen left her Talus nest to the outworld a few weeks ago which was odd, but not the first time she's done it. The next day she was dead. This morning I noticed my P. rugosus queen outside which I've never seen before. Tonight, she's dead. Do you think they knowingly leave if they know they're going to croak? Or is it something causing them to leave? Lack of water? Heat? They both had workers. I have the heat lamp on them at about 85 F.

 

Having had two previous Pogonomyrmex, this was the first one that finally had a nice brood pile too.

 

EDIT: Could the heat have killed them? Camponotus I think is possible, since she was from the mountains. But the workers always drag the brood out as close to the heat as possible so I assumed they liked it. But Pogonomyrmex thrive in the desert. If it's 100 F outside, it can't be less than mid-80 inside the natural nest. Unless the Talus traps heat really, really well?

Edited by Foogoo, April 8 2015 - 7:08 PM.

[Ants4fun]

Was there enough moisture? 

[drtrmiller]

Sounds to me like they left the nest in search of something that wasn't where they were previously situated, usually food or water.

 

Where diseased or crippled workers will usually exit the nest so the colony may live, queens usually only exit the nest so they, themselves, can keep living.

Edited by drtrmiller, April 8 2015 - 7:30 PM.

[Ants4fun]

I agree ^

[Foogoo]

There was food, so unless the queen wasn't being fed by the workers? There was also moisture in the form of the water tower and I typically wet the nest area every other day. Condensation tends to form which to me means the moisture levels are fine. Considering how well the pile of brood looked, I am absolutely clueless what could have caused their deaths. Could the heat lamp have caused heat to concentrate in the nest area where there is essentially no air circulation?

[antmaniac]

drtrmiller is right. Heat maybe tricky, in desert they would keep themselves in shade and plenty of area to move to. The workers and brood would behave differently to the queen, depending on their needs.

[William. T]

For some reason, I have seen Camponotus queens in my house....... dead. Their gasters look flabby and they seem unusually thin. Around the time I discover them there are some dead workers.

[antmaniac]

Probably died from lack of food and water. Or got eaten by spider or other insects. Or died from other causes and workers moved them out.