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My Pogonomyrmex californicus colony looks to have two queens


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#1 Offline Vendayn - Posted June 1 2016 - 7:38 PM

Vendayn

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Can't take pictures till dad's phone is fixed, and my phone is too terrible for pictures. But, I'll be taking updated pictures of my ant colonies next week.

 

But, there are two wingless females in my colony I have. I originally started with a winged queen I found crawling on the sidewalk, but she was just in the process of taking off her wings when I found her and completely took them off in the formicarium. I wanted to boost her, so I got a bunch of pupae and found a second wingless queen near the colony I was getting brood from. And, I know the local colonies here are not aggressive at all with each other, I can take workers from one side of the river and put them in another colony on the other side (with no possible way for them to be the same colony) and they get along just fine. I can boost workers from any of the Pogonomyrmex colonies along the river, and there is never any aggression between them at all. Even though they are definitely not the same colony.

 

And now my colony looks to have two queens, or at least one queen and a wingless one. But, both possible queens are just near the brood taking care of them, and not really acting like workers. They are in a two formicarium setup, with one acting as the foraging area and the other is the living quarters.

 

Have their been multiple queened Pogonomyrmex colonies in the past? Or is it just more likely one isn't fertile, and took off her wings for whatever reason?


Edited by Vendayn, June 1 2016 - 7:39 PM.


#2 Offline Vendayn - Posted June 3 2016 - 6:31 PM

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My colony of Pogonomyrmex now have three queens, and I'll be adding more the next few days since they have been flying. The third queen was from yesterday, and get along perfectly well. All three queens were right next to each other, until I disturbed them. Since they don't fight each other and get along perfectly well, I now know I can add as many queens to the colony as I want really.



#3 Offline Vendayn - Posted June 3 2016 - 6:35 PM

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Actually, according to this one population of Pogonomyrmex californicus do have multiple queens. But, it must be incredibly rare. And it says they end up with one queen, so maybe mine will end up the same. But, there are lots of workers and the queens still get along.

 

http://www.navajonat...lifornicus.html


Edited by Vendayn, June 3 2016 - 8:15 PM.





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