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A. tennesseensis queen latching onto larvae and workers?

Started By CatsnAnts , May 25 2023 11:51 AM

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#1 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted May 25 2023 - 11:51 AM

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LocationJasper, Indiana

Hi all, I introduced my A. tennesseensis to some host workers, and the introduction was smooth for the most part. Fast forward a few days later and this whole time she has been latched onto a single larvae or worker 24/7. For example, when I moved the colony and added more workers yesterday, the queen immediately sought out a larvae and then proceeded to just simply grab hold and not let go (she's still holding it). Workers will move the larvae around with her on it. The workers and the queen are not fighting, and when she holds a worker she does not hurt it. Is there any explanation for this behavior?

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#2 Offline OiledOlives - Posted May 25 2023 - 12:59 PM

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LocationVirginia

This behavior seems very normal for A. tennesseensis introductions. My queen is still curled up even while it produces eggs and it was latched onto workers and alate larvae for the entirety of the introduction. Amatty76 had the same behavior with his A10 queen.

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