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Weird behavior, single worker keeps trying to climb over and over and falling


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#1 Offline dboeren - Posted September 25 2024 - 8:52 AM

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Overall, my Camponotus floridanus colony is doing fine.  A couple weeks ago I hooked up their Mini-Hearth to a new Labyrinth from Tarheel Ants.  They haven't moved yet, but they are exploring.

 

Anyway...  Today I noticed just one ant with a weird behavior.  He's trying to climb the plastic wall and it's like he can't stick to it.  There is no fluon or other lubricant where he's doing it at ground level.  He just flails his legs trying to climb, falls over, maybe circles, and then does it again in the same general spot.  A couple times I've seen it make it partway up the wall, but mostly he's pretty bad at it.

 

Anyone have any ideas what's going on here?  I haven't fed them any new foods that might be contaminated and it's just this one ant.  Nobody else is acting unusual.  Is he maybe just about to die?  I think my colony is at the stage where the original nanitics are dying off, I've had to remove several dead ants recently and they were all smaller ants.

 

Thanks for any ideas!

 



#2 Offline eea - Posted September 25 2024 - 9:58 AM

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She might have some fluon on her feet.

#3 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted September 25 2024 - 10:06 AM

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Overall, my Camponotus floridanus colony is doing fine.  A couple weeks ago I hooked up their Mini-Hearth to a new Labyrinth from Tarheel Ants.  They haven't moved yet, but they are exploring.

 

Anyway...  Today I noticed just one ant with a weird behavior.  He's trying to climb the plastic wall and it's like he can't stick to it.  There is no fluon or other lubricant where he's doing it at ground level.  He just flails his legs trying to climb, falls over, maybe circles, and then does it again in the same general spot.  A couple times I've seen it make it partway up the wall, but mostly he's pretty bad at it.

 

Anyone have any ideas what's going on here?  I haven't fed them any new foods that might be contaminated and it's just this one ant.  Nobody else is acting unusual.  Is he maybe just about to die?  I think my colony is at the stage where the original nanitics are dying off, I've had to remove several dead ants recently and they were all smaller ants.

 

Thanks for any ideas!

Most likely the ant is dying. Camponotus often attempt to climb when death is near.


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#4 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 25 2024 - 2:19 PM

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Yes, this is typical pre-death behavior for many types of ants.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#5 Offline AntsGodzilla - Posted September 25 2024 - 3:03 PM

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Yes, this is typical pre-death behavior for many types of ants.

Me when my Pogonomyrmex's favorite thing to do is climb walls


Edited by AntsGodzilla, September 25 2024 - 3:03 PM.

 

And many Carnivorous plants such as: Dionea muscipula (fly trap), Sarracenia x 'Fiona' ( American Pitcher plant), Nepenthese ventrata (Tropical Pitcher plant), and Pinguicula agnata x emarginata (Butterwort) (show off your plants here)

Godzilla thread

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores it's provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs 6: 6-8

 

Myrmecocystus depilis

 


#6 Offline dboeren - Posted September 26 2024 - 5:09 AM

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I did find a dead ant this morning so most likely it was death throes, though of course I can't verify that it was the same ant.  However, nobody is repeatedly climbing the wall anymore either so I expect it probably was the same one.

 

Thanks for the input!






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