4 replies to this topic

[kmoore79]

So I bought some Camp. Discolor from tarheels and the same day they arrived, that evening the queen died along with a worker. I assumed the shipping stressed her and the worker out and they perished. The worker walked out of nest and made a "graveyard" in a corner of the outworld. I was afraid the queen would rot and foul the nest, so I removed her and gently placed her next to the dead worker. Much to my surprise the next morning, the rest of the workers brought her body back in and placed her back into the nest, so I left her. Over the past few weeks, they have separated all parts of her body and now the gaster is left in the chamber they all deemed fit to rest in. This morning I checked on them and there is a HUGE pupae that they are all laying next to. Could that just be another worker, or what? The pupae is almost twice their size. I watched them religiously after the queen died, because I was afraid of them dying out and never once saw any eggs. I read on a myrmecology site that it is possible for a queen to lay an egg that could be a queen, in case she is dying. Could the massive pupae be a queen?

[Mettcollsuss]

It wouldn't do them much good to produce a new queen because unless she mates, she wouldn't be able to replace the old queen. It could be major, if the colony is large enough. The other possibility is that it's a male. In orphaned colonies, the workers will sometimes lay infertile eggs that develop into males as a last attempt to spread their colony's genetics before they die out.

[Antkeeper01]

So I bought some Camp. Discolor from tarheels and the same day they arrived, that evening the queen died along with a worker. I assumed the shipping stressed her and the worker out and they perished. The worker walked out of nest and made a "graveyard" in a corner of the outworld. I was afraid the queen would rot and foul the nest, so I removed her and gently placed her next to the dead worker. Much to my surprise the next morning, the rest of the workers brought her body back in and placed her back into the nest, so I left her. Over the past few weeks, they have separated all parts of her body and now the gaster is left in the chamber they all deemed fit to rest in. This morning I checked on them and there is a HUGE pupae that they are all laying next to. Could that just be another worker, or what? The pupae is almost twice their size. I watched them religiously after the queen died, because I was afraid of them dying out and never once saw any eggs. I read on a myrmecology site that it is possible for a queen to lay an egg that could be a queen, in case she is dying. Could the massive pupae be a queen?

 

 

did you send a picture to Mack(tarheelants) to get a refund or a new colony?

Edited by Antkeeper01, July 10 2021 - 1:35 PM.

[kmoore79]

 

So I bought some Camp. Discolor from tarheels and the same day they arrived, that evening the queen died along with a worker. I assumed the shipping stressed her and the worker out and they perished. The worker walked out of nest and made a "graveyard" in a corner of the outworld. I was afraid the queen would rot and foul the nest, so I removed her and gently placed her next to the dead worker. Much to my surprise the next morning, the rest of the workers brought her body back in and placed her back into the nest, so I left her. Over the past few weeks, they have separated all parts of her body and now the gaster is left in the chamber they all deemed fit to rest in. This morning I checked on them and there is a HUGE pupae that they are all laying next to. Could that just be another worker, or what? The pupae is almost twice their size. I watched them religiously after the queen died, because I was afraid of them dying out and never once saw any eggs. I read on a myrmecology site that it is possible for a queen to lay an egg that could be a queen, in case she is dying. Could the massive pupae be a queen?

 

 

did you send a picture to Mack(tarheelants) to get a refund or a new colony?

 

Yes. He didn't answer either email I sent. They were on sale and I figured that's why he ignored me.

It wouldn't do them much good to produce a new queen because unless she mates, she wouldn't be able to replace the old queen. It could be major, if the colony is large enough. The other possibility is that it's a male. In orphaned colonies, the workers will sometimes lay infertile eggs that develop into males as a last attempt to spread their colony's genetics before they die out.

Thank you. That's super sad, but I'll take super good care of them until they die out =(

[kmoore79]

Tarheels came to the rescue and the matter has been resolved. Thank you everyone for your helpful posts.