Click to view full story of "Queens I think :D"

KiamCameron: Queens I think :D (12. Mär 2008 15:34)

I have 2 myrmica rubra or myrmica ruginodus ants I thought they were workers but I have had them for like a year now and there still alive i left them alone for like 5 months with feeding them no food and there still alive so I decided to put them into a new test tube and I am going to hope they lay eggs as I dont really know the different between queens and workers in these species ;)

Just hope they lay eggs and if i find any myrmica rubra/ruginodus workers I will put them with these 2 queens or ants.

But isnt it strange they survived for so long with no food and if there worker isnt there life exspectany around 1 year?

tail__: (12. Mär 2008 15:50)

The new queens can survive really long without any food, but it doesn't mean they can produce new ants from nothing. Myrmica queens - unlike claustral queens, like Lasius niger - must have protein food (bugs) to start a new colony. Adding workers from another nest - especially if you aren't sure if they are of the same species, which is very hard to say - can be dangerous.

Distinguishing queens and workers is extremally easy, it's really most basic thing - queens have much larger thorax with wing muscles. Look at the photos, there are many in the net.

KiamCameron: (12. Mär 2008 16:23)

I will put one worker in where I think I found them so they should be same species ;) I will feed tem some little bugs to :D

And Thanks ;)