3 replies to this topic

[Waganga]

Hi all... 

 

It seems like I have some sick Pogonomyrmex queens. I caught 5 Pogonomyrmex about 1.5 weeks ago, and placed them in sterile dirt setups inside of old pickle jars. They have a heating cable running between the jars to give them some heat. Three of the queens began digging some chambers right away. Two of the queens haven't dug, they're just running around inside their jar. Everyone got honey as a welcome gift.

 

The three that dug chambers seem to be sick (or dead). Symptoms are: bad balance and poor sense of distance (noticed first when they were digging), rubbing their head repeatedly with their front legs (not cleaning antennae, just rubbing), stretching their mandibles really wide, walking backwards/rearing backwards/falling over. Basically, acting like they have a really, really bad headache. One queen hid in her founding chamber, presumed dead; one queen died on the surface of her enclosure; the third queen I removed and put in a test tube to observe more directly. The two queens that haven't dug anything aren't showing signs of sickness (but also not acting fertile, so... bummer?). 

 

I've been using this sterile soil for some of my other ants (several Tetramorium, several other Pogonomyrmex) without issue, and I've been using the tap water with all my ants without issue, so I don't think it's the materials. Since the two that aren't acting fertile also aren't showing these symptoms, maybe it has something to do with having mated? Perhaps they were gotten by parasitic wasps, or contracted some bad fungus, etc? 

 

Has anyone seen anything like this? I know there's nothing I can do to save them, but I'm curious to know what might be the cause.

[Zeiss]

Pogonomyrmex really don't need any honey; they mostly need seeds, grains, and insects for the diets.  

 

With Pogonomyrmex, they don't always do well in founding.  I have had many instances where they act mentally deficient.  That's the only way I can explain it as they do not perform basic functions like digging, and if they do dig, they never stop and do not settle down.  Some queens of this genus just do this and do not stop until they die.  There is nothing you can do about it, as far as I know, and just have to let the weaker queens die off.  

[Waganga]

Pogonomyrmex really don't need any honey; they mostly need seeds, grains, and insects for the diets.  

 

With Pogonomyrmex, they don't always do well in founding.  I have had many instances where they act mentally deficient.  That's the only way I can explain it as they do not perform basic functions like digging, and if they do dig, they never stop and do not settle down.  Some queens of this genus just do this and do not stop until they die.  There is nothing you can do about it, as far as I know, and just have to let the weaker queens die off.  

 

It doesn't seem like they dug themselves to death. They seemed to dig until they were close enough to their heat source to be satisfied, and quit there. The only kind of "mentally deficient" behavior I noticed was not knowing how far from their founding chambers they walked before they dropped their dirt and went back. Likewise/weirdly, the ones that haven't tried to dig/found aren't showing illness.

 

Their behavior is a lot more like they're in pain. They're holding their head and writhing around, and seem to fall down when their pain is the worst. Their pain seems to settle down when they stop doing stuff with their mandibles/mouthparts, or get worse when they're using their mandibles/mouthparts. For example, I noticed when one tried to drink/lick water droplets (do ants lick? anyways), she had a sudden, painful looking reaction and began writhing around. It's real weird to watch, and kinda sad.

 

RE: Diet - honey is what I had, though I'm planning to pick up some organic poppy seeds soon. I'd be surprised if diet played a role after only 8-9 days.

Edited by Waganga, July 8 2018 - 7:45 PM.

[Zeiss]

 

It doesn't seem like they dug themselves to death. They seemed to dig until they were close enough to their heat source to be satisfied, and quit there. The only kind of "mentally deficient" behavior I noticed was not knowing how far from their founding chambers they walked before they dropped their dirt and went back. Likewise/weirdly, the ones that haven't tried to dig/found aren't showing illness.

 

Their behavior is a lot more like they're in pain. They're holding their head and writhing around, and seem to fall down when their pain is the worst. Their pain seems to settle down when they stop doing stuff with their mandibles/mouthparts, or get worse when they're using their mandibles/mouthparts. For example, I noticed when one tried to drink/lick water droplets (do ants lick? anyways), she had a sudden, painful looking reaction and began writhing around. It's real weird to watch, and kinda sad.

 

RE: Diet - honey is what I had, though I'm planning to pick up some organic poppy seeds soon. I'd be surprised if diet played a role after only 8-9 days.

 

I'm not saying they will dig themselves to death, they will just keep wandering about, digging, or do nothing at all until they die.  What you are describing appears to be some type of poison getting to them and will most likely not make it.  I had one queen that behaved as such and died within a few days, even though she seemed to be okay afterwards.  It kind of seemed like a stroke.  

 

And for the diet, I'm not saying that is something that would have lead to the problems, but don't give many sweets to them, they may only take it if it's the only thing around.  They would much rather have the grains, seeds, and insects.  

 

I would not call their drinking a licking mechanic, more so sipping through a straw I would think.