I still have two P. rugosus, one P. californicus, and one C. vicinus hanging around. The Pogonomyrmex have laid eggs but they always disappeared. So far I'm just letting them hang out.
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Who else still has dud queens from summer?
Started By
Foogoo
, Nov 27 2015 5:09 PM
12 replies to this topic
#1
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Posted November 27 2015 - 5:09 PM
Foogoo
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Camponotus vicinus, Crematogaster 1, Crematogaster 2, Formica francoeuri, *, *, Myrmecocystus testaceus, Novomessor cockerelli, Pheidole hyatti, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Solenopsis invicta
#3
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Posted December 2 2015 - 11:22 PM
PTAntFan
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I have two Pogonomyrmex queens. Both had 1-3 or 4 brood develop into workers. One of them lost her only worker the other day. The others are in a tower with poor visibility and I almost never see them, but if I put Blue 100 in their tower, it always disappears within a day or so.
In other news, I gassed one of my remaining two Formica colonies. It was just a boneheaded move. I put some rubbing alcohol in their outworld to eradicate some books lice and then promptly put the lid on it like an idiot. 3 workers and the queen survived, but are in bad shape.
PTAntFan----------------------------------Pogonomyrmex Californicus*****************************<p>I use the $3 Tower I made up. See it here.
#4
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Posted December 3 2015 - 7:35 AM
Crystals
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I have several dud queens.
3 Formica neogagates who either never lay eggs, or eat them within day. One is from last summer, so I have had her 17 months now (yeah, I feed her small drops of hummingbird nectar occasionally).
My Camponotus queen who never laid eggs last year, finally got 2 workers and now is taking off full steam with a tonne of brood.
"Always do right. This will gratify some people, and astound the rest." -- Samuel Clemens
#5
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Posted December 3 2015 - 10:02 AM
dermy
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I have a queen that just decided to lay eggs, hatch them then eat them. Does that count? It's Camponotus as well.
#6
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Posted December 3 2015 - 6:20 PM
Foogoo
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I have two Pogonomyrmex queens. Both had 1-3 or 4 brood develop into workers. One of them lost her only worker the other day. The others are in a tower with poor visibility and I almost never see them, but if I put Blue 100 in their tower, it always disappears within a day or so.
In other news, I gassed one of my remaining two Formica colonies. It was just a boneheaded move. I put some rubbing alcohol in their outworld to eradicate some books lice and then promptly put the lid on it like an idiot. 3 workers and the queen survived, but are in bad shape.
Been there done that 
. Killed my favorite Camponotus and her only worker. Speaking of which, is booklice any harm? I think those are the things crawling around my nests, but I've just let them be.
I have several dud queens.
3 Formica neogagates who either never lay eggs, or eat them within day. One is from last summer, so I have had her 17 months now (yeah, I feed her small drops of hummingbird nectar occasionally).
My Camponotus queen who never laid eggs last year, finally got 2 workers and now is taking off full steam with a tonne of brood.
That's what I'm hoping for, that one day they will lay eggs. But right now, they're like graduate children living in my basement.
Camponotus vicinus, Crematogaster 1, Crematogaster 2, Formica francoeuri, *, *, Myrmecocystus testaceus, Novomessor cockerelli, Pheidole hyatti, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Solenopsis invicta
#7
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Posted December 3 2015 - 6:28 PM
drtrmiller
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[Are] booklice any harm? I think those are the things crawling around my nests, but I've just let them be.
Quite the contrary. They're beneficial, as they consume detritus and other ant waste and will never prey on the ants themselves. In higher population densities, they may even be hunted by the ants for food.
Edited by drtrmiller, December 3 2015 - 6:29 PM.
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#8
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Posted December 3 2015 - 6:32 PM
PTAntFan
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My only beef with the book lice is that they swarm the food I provide and I cannot tell if that is a deterrant to the ants themselves eating.
PTAntFan----------------------------------Pogonomyrmex Californicus*****************************<p>I use the $3 Tower I made up. See it here.
#9
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Posted December 3 2015 - 7:27 PM
NightsWebs
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do dead queens count as duds? looking for a coastal P.californicus as I have several Pogonomyrmex but no queen she kicked the proverbial bucket
Current Colonies;
Acromyrmex Versicolor
Dorymyrmex Bicolor
Pogonomyrmex Californicus
Pogonomyrmex Rugosus
Pogonomyrmex Tenuispinus
Novomessor Cockerelli
Myrmecocystus Mexicanus
Last Update: 08 Jul 2016
#10
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Posted December 4 2015 - 7:56 AM
Foogoo
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do dead queens count as duds? looking for a coastal P.californicus as I have several Pogonomyrmex but no queen she kicked the proverbial bucket
So now it's a queen-less colony? I wonder if they'd adopt a colony-less queen, if they were introduced slowly. I see you're in Socal, you're welcome to try my dud if you'd like.
Camponotus vicinus, Crematogaster 1, Crematogaster 2, Formica francoeuri, *, *, Myrmecocystus testaceus, Novomessor cockerelli, Pheidole hyatti, Pogonomyrmex californicus, Pogonomyrmex rugosus, Solenopsis invicta
#11
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Posted December 6 2015 - 10:23 PM
Gregory2455
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I have a bunch still too.
#12
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Posted December 7 2015 - 7:06 AM
I've got so many colonies to take care of, I have started eliminating dud queens. I don't keep them as long as I used to, especially once the next anting season starts. At that point I'll just get new ones.
#13
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Posted December 7 2015 - 5:03 PM
Gregory2455
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I've got so many colonies to take care of, I have started eliminating dud queens. I don't keep them as long as I used to, especially once the next anting season starts. At that point I'll just get new ones.
Same. I stopped feeding dud queens that are not special. The only dud queens I still feed are the Camponotus sansabeanus, Formica fusca (she had workers that died in this summer's heat), and Dorymyrmex insanus queens that used to have workers.
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