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1 year old Camponotus. Queen stopped laying

Started By Nogbert , Aug 23 2021 4:09 PM
camponotus eggs laying

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9 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Nogbert - Posted August 23 2021 - 4:09 PM

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Title says it all. Have had a Camponotous queen since last spring/summer. Things have seemingly been fine up until probably a month or so ago; \she hasn't laid anything since then. Before this there were a few drones that hatched, one of which is still just hanging with the rest; its wings have been removed against its will. I've been feeding them a regular diet of crickets, fruit flies and sunburst nectar. I have a heat cable going most of the 24 day. initially i thought maybe i had the heat too close to the nest so i moved it and havent seen any change.

 

Any thoughts?

 


#2 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted August 23 2021 - 4:23 PM

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Title says it all. Have had a Camponotous queen since last spring/summer. Things have seemingly been fine up until probably a month or so ago; \she hasn't laid anything since then. Before this there were a few drones that hatched, one of which is still just hanging with the rest; its wings have been removed against its will. I've been feeding them a regular diet of crickets, fruit flies and sunburst nectar. I have a heat cable going most of the 24 day. initially i thought maybe i had the heat too close to the nest so i moved it and havent seen any change.

 

Any thoughts?

maybe they are getting ready for hibernation and the males came from trophic eggs that they doidnt eat. or there is the possibility she didn't mate for long enough.


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#3 Offline futurebird - Posted August 23 2021 - 4:50 PM

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What camponotus spices is it? 

Did you put the colony in to diapause if that's needed for that species?

It's very strange that you would see males... were there any workers? If there are only males she isn't fertilized?

 

It'd help to know the size of the colony and the species.


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#4 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted August 23 2021 - 4:52 PM

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I was just about to ask about the queen's diapause over the winter.

I had problems with certain Camponotus queens not rebooting in the spring if they didn't get cooled enough. My last batch of Camponotus I stuck in the garage (non-freezing) and they were fine (at least until one of them got decimated by Tetramorium). But if she laid just fine earlier in the year then yeah, maybe it's getting late in the year.


Edited by OhNoNotAgain, August 23 2021 - 4:53 PM.

Formiculture Journals::

Veromessor pergandei, andrei; Novomessor cockerelli

Camponotus fragilis; also separate journal: Camponotus sansabeanus (inactive), vicinus, laevigatus/quercicola

Liometopum occidentale;  Prenolepis imparis; Myrmecocystus mexicanus (inactive)

Pogonomyrmex subnitidus and californicus (inactive)

Tetramorium sp.

Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis

 

Isopods: A. gestroi, granulatum, kluugi, maculatum, vulgare; C. murina; P. hoffmannseggi, P. haasi, P. ornatus; V. parvus

Spoods: Phidippus sp.

#5 Offline Nogbert - Posted August 23 2021 - 6:13 PM

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What camponotus spices is it? 

Did you put the colony in to diapause if that's needed for that species?

It's very strange that you would see males... were there any workers? If there are only males she isn't fertilized?

 

It'd help to know the size of the colony and the species.

 

 

I was just about to ask about the queen's diapause over the winter.

I had problems with certain Camponotus queens not rebooting in the spring if they didn't get cooled enough. My last batch of Camponotus I stuck in the garage (non-freezing) and they were fine (at least until one of them got decimated by Tetramorium). But if she laid just fine earlier in the year then yeah, maybe it's getting late in the year.

Sorry, i meant to put all this info in.

the colony is pennsylvanicus or modoc. nothing super note worthy about their appearance so without a microscope i can't really get a solid ID. found in denver colorado.

the colony has like 15-20 workers of various sizes.

i did a diapause where i kept them in a utility closet outside during winter. they were kept around 40 degrees F i think. cold enough that the queen was unresponsive for a few days after bringing them into the house. after she woke up from that things were pretty normal. laid a good clutch of eggs etc. its only been recently (after some of those eggs hatched as drones) that things seem to be going badly


#6 Offline futurebird - Posted August 23 2021 - 7:44 PM

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That is really strange. Assuming the queen is still alive I can only guess that she ran out of sperm or is having an issue with that part of her reproductive system... and can't lay fertilized eggs. 

 

I've heard of older queen having an issue along these lines... maybe the nuptial flight was chaotic?

 

Probably remove the drones and see if she "resets" I had a lasius queen who passed this strange bubble of yellow stuff and then didn't lay for a bit... but then she got back to normal?

 

Has she laid any eggs that hatched to workers since diapause? It sound like you did everything "by the book" maybe one of the more experienced keepers has some esoteric knowledge... those are my best guesses. 


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I like to make relaxing videos that capture the joy of watching ants.

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#7 Offline Max_Connor - Posted August 24 2021 - 7:47 PM

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Maybe that queen has passed to some next step of evolution where they use drones as workers. Just a hunch though


#8 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted August 25 2021 - 2:13 PM

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Maybe that queen has passed to some next step of evolution where they use drones as workers. Just a hunch though

 

I wish. My queenless Novos (raising their own sons) and my infertile Camponotus CA02 would be all set then!  :lol:


Formiculture Journals::

Veromessor pergandei, andrei; Novomessor cockerelli

Camponotus fragilis; also separate journal: Camponotus sansabeanus (inactive), vicinus, laevigatus/quercicola

Liometopum occidentale;  Prenolepis imparis; Myrmecocystus mexicanus (inactive)

Pogonomyrmex subnitidus and californicus (inactive)

Tetramorium sp.

Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis

 

Isopods: A. gestroi, granulatum, kluugi, maculatum, vulgare; C. murina; P. hoffmannseggi, P. haasi, P. ornatus; V. parvus

Spoods: Phidippus sp.

#9 Offline Max_Connor - Posted August 25 2021 - 7:09 PM

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Maybe that queen has passed to some next step of evolution where they use drones as workers. Just a hunch though

 

I wish. My queenless Novos (raising their own sons) and my infertile Camponotus CA02 would be all set then!  :lol:

 

 

I think you all should release those males so they can pass the mutation to the next generation.

We need to promote this type of selection


Edited by Max_Connor, August 25 2021 - 7:10 PM.

#10 Offline Nogbert - Posted August 26 2021 - 6:11 AM

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the remaining drone has been removed (RIP). i also put a new test tube setup in the outworld as i had noticed the plaster in my nest (wakooshi) has seemingly stopped absorbing water??? need to investigate.

 

will update this if anything changes


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