58 replies to this topic

[Mettcollsuss]

My current 20-worker Tetramorium sp. E colony comes from one queen, but I found that queen under a brick sharing a founding chamber with a second queen. They didn't have any brood that I could see. One queen escaped into the leaf litter, but I caught the second, and she now has a thriving colony.

[T.C.]

Update: 10/7/17

1 Queen left, and it was the one I predicted to be the survivor that survived. The other two where taken into the outworld where.... well you know what happened.

[Chicken_eater100]

Nature is so forgiving.

[T.C.]

UPDATE: 10/14/17

Ok, so there is actually 2 queens left. One has been hiding under brood all this time.I hope these two don't start fighting and kill off eachother. That would suck.

 

Lots of brood and workers at this point.

[Mettcollsuss]

I think I'm going to try this experiment myself next year when Tetramorium are flying again.

[T.C.]

UPDATE: 11/3/17

 

Now there is only one queen.

Edited by T.C., November 3 2017 - 10:13 AM.

[Chicken_eater100]

So now it's a single queen tetramorium experiment.

[T.C.]

So now it's a single queen tetramorium experiment.

 

No, experiment is complete! I got a large colony from it. It worked out as I planned... or hoped.

[sgheaton]

More like the trial period..

[Mettcollsuss]

 

So now it's a single queen tetramorium experiment.

 

No, experiment is complete! I got a large colony from it. It worked out as I planned... or hoped.

 

How big is the colony now?

[T.C.]

About a 150 workers and 200 larvae. I know that may seem like alot, but the queens all laid eggs before they where killed and alot of them. Almost all of those eggs hit the larvae stage at the same time. They consume a lot of protein.

[AntHUB]

I tried polygeny with my colony that I assumed was tetramorium. I am not sure what kind it actually is because the nanitics are larger than most Tetramorium nanitics. Also in the wild 72% of Tetramorium immigrans colonies start out a pleometrosis. Most colonies end up a monogamy though, the same is true with Solenopsis invicta. This technique allows colonies to grow faster and the S. invicta colonies that use this technique raid other colonies almost year round. Which results in huge population explosions. 

[Connectimyrmex]

I tried polygeny with my colony that I assumed was tetramorium. I am not sure what kind it actually is because the nanitics are larger than most Tetramorium nanitics. Also in the wild 72% of Tetramorium immigrans colonies start out a pleometrosis. Most colonies end up a monogamy though, the same is true with Solenopsis invicta. This technique allows colonies to grow faster and the S. invicta colonies that use this technique raid other colonies almost year round. Which results in huge population explosions. 

Your colony might be Pheidole, Aphaenogaster, Solenopsis, or Myrmica if the nanitics are larger than Tetramorium nanitics.

[Mettcollsuss]

I'm going to try this next year, but one problem: is it possible that the one queen the workers let live will be infertile?

[T.C.]

I'm going to try this next year, but one problem: is it possible that the one queen the workers let live will be infertile?

Not likely. Their flights are pretty big.

[Mettcollsuss]

 

I'm going to try this next year, but one problem: is it possible that the one queen the workers let live will be infertile?

Not likely. Their flights are pretty big.

 

Good point. Of all the Tetramorium queens I've found, only one was infertile.

[noebl1]

 

 

Good point. Of all the Tetramorium queens I've found, only one was infertile.

 

This is my experience as well.  

[T.C.]

Growing.... (sorry, the slight condensation ruined the pic. )

 

Edited by T.C., December 4 2017 - 12:57 PM.

[Connectimyrmex]

Wow, the workers are huge compared to the queen! My foundling of this species has workers as small as the queen's head.

EDIT: Foundling=my nickname for founding colonies.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, December 4 2017 - 1:51 PM.