5 replies to this topic

[ruth]

Hi, I got two Solenopsis queens but I fear one of them is not fecundated, they live together and there has not been any fights, however I'm afraid that the princess eat the eggs or that when the nurseys born they confuse their real mother and kill the one that did was fecundated.

 

Could you explain how do pheromons work? Do both queens have the same pheromons or is there any difference even though they come from the same colony?

 

If a queen never gets to the nuptial flight can she live in the new colony as if she was just another worker? 

 

Also I heard Solenopsis Ivicta colonies can live with more than one queen, while Solenopsis Geminata also start with more than one queen but when the colony is bigger they fight until only one queen remains, am I wrong?

 

 

[bmb1bee]

If you want, you can just separate the queen that you don't think is fertilized into another tube.

[ruth]

I think I will keep them together to see what happens, the Princess don't seems to pay attention to the eggs so it would be interesting to find out what her role in the colony will be. Can the other ants know if a queen Is fecundated or not?

[bmb1bee]

How do you know she is a "princess"? Is it because she still has wings? I would still recommend separating her because she may eat the fertile (if she even is fertile) queen's eggs and delay colony founding. Later on the workers may end up killing her anyway if she takes up too many resources.

[ruth]

Thank you. She still has wings, that's why I thought she was still a princcess but I already separated her and she layed some eggs so I returned her with the other queen and there has not been any problem, exept that they kept a cotton with Honey on a corner.

Edited by ruth, December 1 2024 - 9:24 AM.

[IdioticMouse26]

To answer some of your questions:

I'm pretty sure the unfertile queens emits different pheromones so the workers know if the queen is fertile or not. 

Alates that did not manage to have a nuptial flight usually works like the workers and have similiar lifespan to workers.

 

By the way, which solenopsis are they?