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wook: Formica pratensis and fusca dead for no known reasons (12. Sep 2013 12:29)

Hello, In July this year I found Formica fusca queen, she had both her left wings - she was never able to shed them. After I placed her in tube she got 16 or 18 eggs that had really fast development and in just about month they were up to hatch, but, two days before their hatch queen just dies, few hours before she died I was taking photos of her and brood in tube and she was healthy.
Few days ago, I found Formica pratensis queen, also, with two left wings, but also, with non functional back leg on left side. I added some workers of F. nigricans (we believe) and they accepted her very well, even removed her wings...but she dies too, same as fusca.

What would be the reasons? Infections? Phorid flies? Parasites?

shane: Re: Formica pratensis and fusca dead for no known reasons (13. Aug 2014 00:56)

Maybe a year old post almost but it sounds like she dint have access to water or mixed honey water to keep her feed in time for worker
ants.

wook: Re: Formica pratensis and fusca dead for no known reasons (16. Aug 2014 20:41)

Maybe a year old post almost but it sounds like she dint have access to water or mixed honey water to keep her feed in time for worker
ants.
Not really, she had open access to everything, proteins, water and honey. Btw, F. fusca is claustral species though...

shane: Re: Formica pratensis and fusca dead for no known reasons (17. Aug 2014 01:41)

I don't know then, Maybe something wrong with queen it can happen