7 replies to this topic

[UtahAnts]

Has anyone ever had a multi-queen Tetramorium colony and kept it long term? I know that multiple queens often found together, and I often combine founding queens to get better success rates, but I have never had success with multiple queens surviving the first generation until now. This setup has about 8 queens, and around 15-20 workers. By now, all my other colonies have begun or already killed all but one queen. However this large colony has not lost even a single antennae yet. This has never happened before, but I'm guessing that due to the large number of living queens giving off pheromones in the tube, the workers cannot pinpoint certain queens to cull. This is probably totally wrong, but I'm at a loss as to what's happening. Has anyone had anything similar happen in their experience?

 

 

[antgallery]

I had a 10 queen colony that got up to a couple thousand workers before I sold them. I also live in Missouri tho and here you can't find a single colony that isn't polygynous.

Edited by antgallery, August 6 2021 - 7:13 AM.

[zA-Z0-9]

I had a 10 queen colony that got up to a couple thousand workers before I sold them. I also live in Missouri tho and here you can't find a single colony that isn't polygynous.

i live in mo too where you from if you don't mind me asking 

[Mettcollsuss]

My tetra colonies have always waited until after workers arrive to start eliminating queens. I've had a colony that lived with four queens for many months before deciding to kill off the extra 3.

[Mettcollsuss]

I had a 10 queen colony that got up to a couple thousand workers before I sold them. I also live in Missouri tho and here you can't find a single colony that isn't polygynous.

Are you in or around St. Louis? Because it sounds like those may have been T. tsushimae, which is an introduced species that's established itself in St. Louis. Tetramorium tsushimae are similar to T. immigrans but smaller and polygynous.

[Manitobant]

Tetramorium immigrans are strictly monogynous, and always kill all but one queen after the founding stage. I’ve never heard of anyone having multiple queens past the 100 worker mark.

Edited by Manitobant, August 6 2021 - 3:35 PM.

[antgallery]

 

I had a 10 queen colony that got up to a couple thousand workers before I sold them. I also live in Missouri tho and here you can't find a single colony that isn't polygynous.

Are you in or around St. Louis? Because it sounds like those may have been T. tsushimae, which is an introduced species that's established itself in St. Louis. Tetramorium tsushimae are similar to T. immigrans but smaller and polygynous.

 

Yes I figured they were T. tsushimae. And yes I'm an hour outside of St. Louis.

[antgallery]

 

I had a 10 queen colony that got up to a couple thousand workers before I sold them. I also live in Missouri tho and here you can't find a single colony that isn't polygynous.

i live in mo too where you from if you don't mind me asking 

 

No problem, I live in Wright City, right between St. Louis and Columbia.