15 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

So I have these 2 Pheidole queens in a rather small test tube, looks to be 13mm x 100mm

I want to move them to a fresh 16mm x 150mm test tube.

Problem is they have eggs

 

What is the best way to move them?

 

I thought about plucking each queen with my featherweight etmology forceps, and then manually move the eggs over with a wet cotton bud, but it's kinda risky eggs wise.

Wether the queens will search for and find the eggs closer to the test tube entrance.

 

There is a smaller black queen of a different species here, missing limbs, which I have already removed.

I guess one of the other two larger ones munched on her....

 

Edited by CoolColJ, April 12 2018 - 11:33 PM.

[CoolColJ]

can I get a mod to move this to the general ant keeping section?

 

----

 

 

Hooray - the black headed queen with missing limbs - who I moved to a new test tube, laid her first egg!

She may yet get a colony going.

Once she has nanitics, they can do everything for her and clean her

I'm keen to see what type of majors this species has

 

 

there is a single egg in the above pics, to the right, I think this may be one of her eggs

Edited by CoolColJ, April 13 2018 - 7:33 PM.

[Rattus]

What about moving w/tweezers when nanitics are out?

Edited by Rattus, April 14 2018 - 1:05 AM.

[CoolColJ]

What about moving w/tweezers when nanitics are out?

 

Well right now i decided to just l let them be in the red transparent test tube rack I have, although it's a bit big for the test tube, since it's made for 16x150mm test tubes.

 

And once nanitics arrive I will drop the test tube into a container out world, open it up and let it dry out

[antnest8]

missing some limbs!! She is missing all of her legs!!

[CoolColJ]

missing some limbs!! She is missing all of her legs!!

 

She has 2 full legs, and stumps for others, but she can move around.

 

As long as she can lay eggs, she should be OK once she has some workers.

Yeah she has issues cleaning her antenna, and her left one is snipped short.

 

But I saw her curl up trying to clean her gaster, and she hasn't given up on life, so I won't give up on her as well!

I think she has layed 5 eggs now, scattered around the test tube

Edited by CoolColJ, April 14 2018 - 4:02 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Overnight she managed to gather all her scattered eggs, and I can confirm she laid a further 7 eggs, 12 total.

She may be missing a few limbs, and part of her left antenna, but she's still chugging along!

 

First time I have seen this species in person, an all black Pheidole queen, looking forward to seeing her majors

about 7mm

Edited by CoolColJ, April 14 2018 - 9:42 PM.

[antnest8]

i hope she makes it

[CoolColJ]

Ahhh no, she had a bunch of eggs, but she tried to move to to front of the test tube and drowned in the honey, I put too much!   

 

I could have saved her, I saw her in the honey, but thought she was just drinking it... so I left her alone for a few hours...before checking again..

 

All these eggs though, guess I will try and give them to the other Pheidole queens.

 

This sucks, first time seeing this species!

 

 

edit - her antenna is still moving after squiring some water on her!

there is hope, I'll put her back in the test tube and pray

Edited by CoolColJ, April 18 2018 - 12:14 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Unfortunately the crippled all black Pheidole queens died

She she tried to move to to front of the test tube and drowned in the honey, I put too much!
When I finally realized I squirted water on her, and she came too, after a bit I put her back in the test tube.
I could see her struggling, moving her antenna and the one good front leg, but she couldn't move her body.
I think the honey was starting to harden, in hindsight I should have kept squirting water on her to keep the honey moist and maybe dilute it enough for her to move.
The next day she was gone... this really sucks, as this was a species I have never seen...no queen should have gone through what she did!



She did leave over 10 eggs behind.
Since my other red with black gaster Pheidole queen did not have any eggs AFAIK, and her cotton was looking messy and starting to mold, I tipped her straight into this test tube.
She checked out the eggs, and if she doesn't eat them, she will have some black nanitics
And hopefully start laying eggs of her own

 

This one, when she was in her original test tube

Edited by CoolColJ, April 19 2018 - 10:46 AM.

[Derpy]

Ahhh no, she had a bunch of eggs, but she tried to move to to front of the test tube and drowned in the honey, I put too much!   
 
I could have saved her, I saw her in the honey, but thought she was just drinking it... so I left her alone for a few hours...before checking again..
 
All these eggs though, guess I will try and give them to the other Pheidole queens.
 
This sucks, first time seeing this species!
 
 
edit - her antenna is still moving after squiring some water on her!
there is hope, I'll put her back in the test tube and pray

That’s exactly what happened to one of my Crematogaster Queens.

[StayLoki]

Wow what an interesting post 👀 !! I was really rooting for her reading along lol so sorry for what happened, and luck to you with the others and eggs

Edited by StayLoki, April 19 2018 - 10:20 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Wow what an interesting post !! I was really rooting for her reading along lol so sorry for what happened, and luck to you with the others and eggs

 

 

thanks guys

 

but sometimes you get lucky and score two all black fully healthy Pheidoles!

Pic shows one, but there are two in this test tube.

 

Yes it's a bit wet...

[T.C.]

missing some limbs!! She is missing all of her legs!!

 Tetramorium sp. queens around here frequently lose their legs when the queens are looking for a place to found. Other colonies of the same species attack them when they are crawling around.

[CoolColJ]

I think she ate some of the dead black Pheidole queen's eggs after I dumped her into this test tube

But she still has some eggs and maybe some of her own?

There is one egg on the left and something in the cotton there as well

 

She maybe just hibernating till next summer

 

click for bigger

Edited by CoolColJ, April 21 2018 - 1:45 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Huzzah - so 6 weeks after capture, the queen above after eating all the Black queen's eggs, finally laid her own

 I noticed these red Pheidole queens like to drag out and chew the cotton and place them as subtrate on the test tube surface

 

Click for bigger

Edited by CoolColJ, May 12 2018 - 9:02 PM.