3 replies to this topic

[CatsnAnts]

I keep all of my ants in an incubator reaching 85 degrees F to 80 degrees F, and so far every single queen I’ve kept in there has done great, that is, except Pheidole. All four different species (almost 15 queens in total combined), have absolutely massive piles of eggs. That’s a good thing, right? Well, when all of those eggs have STAYED eggs for a month and a half, that’s when I start to get worried. 45 days and not a single larvae? The last few years I’ve been having this same problem repeatedly, and obviously I’m not meeting a condition that they need. I’ve been feeding them, adjusting their temperature, and trying a whole host of other things to get their eggs to simply hatch. Anyone know what’s going on? (My species include P. tysoni, pillifera, bicarinata, and an unknown sp.)

[NickAnter]

They are probably just unmated. Most likely not your fault.

For example the common Solenopsis sp. in the suburbs of socal produces very little males, and the rate of mated queens at the blacklight is about 1 in 50.

[Manitobant]

Brood taking forever to develop is usually a sign of infertility. However, if you’ve been doing this for years with no result, i would try keeping them outside the heat at room temperature, as that may work.

[TennesseeAnts]

How're the queens now? Any larvae yet?