11 replies to this topic

[SaintDrake]

What happens to a colony when an ant queen dies if it has several workers already?

I have read a number of different answers and am curious which is correct. Although I assume it is species specific.

Does a worker take over as the new queen? Do the workers raise an egg or larvae that is left behind to be a new queen? Do the workers just work until they too die? Do they go off and try and find a new colony to join? What happens?

[Loops117]

It's species specific. But for for most species, it usually means death of the colony.

Some species actually have fertile egg producing workers that are forbidden to lay while the queen is alive. After the death of the queen, some workers will actually fight to become the queen. I believe these are called gamergates. There's also been documents of queenless colonies continuing to live out it's life, but they have different characteristics after which.

 

Others will produce male alates, not sure how long that lasts.

 

Also, there's always the opportunity of a parasitic queen taking the reigns.

[sgheaton]

Some species actually have fertile egg producing workers that are forbidden to lay while the queen is alive. 

 

What kind of lame existence of a life...

 

While you're able to be the almighty birth giver, nope! You getta move this dirt. Welcome to the colony!

[Loops117]

 

Some species actually have fertile egg producing workers that are forbidden to lay while the queen is alive. 

 

What kind of lame existence of a life...

 

While you're able to be the almighty birth giver, nope! You getta move this dirt. Welcome to the colony!

 

It's insane. Each female has the ability and on occasion one will slip up and lay her own eggs. The colony immediately knows who the culprit is and will dismember her in the nest to set an example. Little savages.

[XZero38]

 

Some species actually have fertile egg producing workers that are forbidden to lay while the queen is alive. 

 

What kind of lame existence of a life...

 

While you're able to be the almighty birth giver, nope! You getta move this dirt. Welcome to the colony!

 

Of course! Havent you ever seen the movie Ants?

[soulsynapse]

 

It's insane. Each female has the ability and on occasion one will slip up and lay her own eggs. The colony immediately knows who the culprit is and will dismember her in the nest to set an example. Little savages.

 

 

wow lol

[Leo]

like diaccama rugosum and harpenthagos

[Antsinmycloset]

I don't know if they "wander off", but doomed colonies can have their brood/workers, well, basically kidnapped. There's also been examples in captivity where a doomed colony, seemingly realizing their predicament, has accepted a replacement queen.

[Serafine]

It's insane. Each female has the ability and on occasion one will slip up and lay her own eggs. The colony immediately knows who the culprit is and will dismember her in the nest to set an example. Little savages.

https://phys.org/new...opoly.html#nRlv

Edited by Serafine, March 1 2017 - 4:52 PM.

[LC3]

 

 

Some species actually have fertile egg producing workers that are forbidden to lay while the queen is alive. 

 

What kind of lame existence of a life...

 

While you're able to be the almighty birth giver, nope! You getta move this dirt. Welcome to the colony!

 

It's insane. Each female has the ability and on occasion one will slip up and lay her own eggs. The colony immediately knows who the culprit is and will dismember her in the nest to set an example. Little savages.

 

I think there are hefty number species of ants  where the workers aren't capable of laying eggs, their ovaries just never develop enough to begin with. I remember Pogonomyrmex workers weren't capable of laying eggs while Veromessor workers can.

Edited by LC3, March 1 2017 - 6:53 PM.

[Works4TheGood]

Workers are just robots that the queen creates to bring her resources. In most cases, they are nothing more than the legs that twitch after you've squashed the mosquito.

Edited by Works4TheGood, March 2 2017 - 6:16 PM.

[BMM]

I've got about 20 Tapinoma sessile workers that are queenless but still raising what brood they had when I caught them. I've had them for close to half a year now.