61 replies to this topic

[Gregory2455]

A few days ago, one of these queens landed in my pool, by the afternoon, I had five, and by the next day, six. Most of these have eggs already, yet only two have torn their wings off. One of the ones that tore its wings off was from http://forum.formicu...2014/#entry3566, which I decided to call this same species for now, and the other was the first one I caught, which so clumsily tore its wings off, that a fragment of one of the bases of the wing is still attached to her. As for the others, I fear they are infertile, but you never know.

 

Original ID: http://forum.formicu...2014/#entry3561

 

 

Edited by Gregory2455, February 20 2019 - 10:01 PM.

[dspdrew]

A lot of times when they land in pools or any water, they don't tear their wings off. I've always assumed they have the urge to tear their wings off at the time they land, but when it happens to be a pool they land in, they are probably a little too busy trying not to drown to worry about that. Whatever it is, it seems to be the same when they land on a black light too. I usually end up with quite a few fertile queens with their wings still attached. They're probably so mesmerized by the light that they don't even think about ripping off their wings.

[Gregory2455]

The one with the "extended" gaster has 4-10 small larvae developing. The other ones have eggs, but nothing seems to be happening. 

[Gregory2455]

I will be referring to the one with the extended gaster as Queen #1 in this journal.

[Gregory2455]

Update 8/23/14:

Queen #1's gaster has shrunk drastically after laying a bunch of eggs, showing she is indeed this same species.

Queen #1 now has about five fully grown larvae which will probably turn into pupae soon.

 

I suspect the other ones are fertile as well, but they may not have had the fat reserves/ eggs needed to have brood 

to develop as fast as Queen #1, all of them have eggs and what may be small larvae.

[dspdrew]

Amazingly, this year almost 100 percent of the Crematogaster queens I found on my black light turned out to be fertile. Almost half of them still have their wings.

[Gregory2455]

Basically none of these are fertile except Queen #1. They refuse to lay eggs at all. Queen #1 has a couple pupae now, in the early stage still- no dark eyes or pigment yet. The pupae shows the already confirmed fact that they are crematogaster. It is interesting that they have such pointy gasters.

[dspdrew]

It's weird... it seems queens caught in mid-flight like accidentally landing in a pool or being sucked in to a black light, always seem to be almost all fertile, or almost all infertile. I guess this probably depends on your location relative to where the majority of them are coming from. If you are too close to a nest, it's possible many are from the same colony, and are being caught just after taking off (assuming these species don't mate on the ground outside the nest like some do).

[Gregory2455]

Multiple pupae of Queen #1 are starting to get pigment. 

[Gregory2455]

Update: 9/9/2014

Queen #1's first worker eclosed today! 

There are about five more pupae that will probably eclose by tomorrow, sadly there would have been another worker eclose today, but it was visibly died while eclosing. 

Since Queen #1 is most likely the only colony this journal will be about, because the others are basically 100% infertile, I won't have to call her that anymore.

[Mercutia]

Pictures of those heart butts please!!!!

[Gregory2455]

Of course!

[Gregory2455]

Here are pictures of the heart butts Mercutia!

I will have more pictures soon, I couldn't really get the workers into the images here.

[Gregory2455]

Update: 9/22/2014

They are doing great still, a lot more workers!

This is just a picture update basically.

[Gregory2455]

Update: 9/28/2014

This colony was hit the hardest by being forcefully moved into a glass test tube. They were up at almost 15 workers when I moved them, and they did not enjoy the move. About 1/3 of the population died off, and I am seeing brood going missing.

Edited by Gregory2455, September 28 2014 - 11:35 AM.

[Alza]

i told you ahead of time that they would die 

[Gregory2455]

You are dumb Alza, they are going great.

[Alza]

oh really ? tell me that when you find that the stress killed all of them

[Gregory2455]

Update: 10/3/14

This colony is slowly recovering. The dying has stopped, leaving the colony with about 13 workers and the queen has started laying eggs again.

[Gregory2455]

The first signs of regrowth! The colony is doing great, but let the pictures and videos explain.

 

 

The first worker eclosing since they were moved into the glass test tube! 

 

Here is a video.