ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Azzer]

Does anybody know why the queen from my Myrmica Rubra colony might suddenly be out and running around the basin? She's acting very much like the other ants, and the other ants aren't rushing around madly to take her back to the nest or anything. I peeked in the nest and all the ants in there are happy looking after the brood as usual.

It is definitely the queen, and I only have 1 queen in this colony at the moment.

Should I be worried about this?

[Azzer]

Update:

The queen went back into the nest of her own accord about 10 minutes later.

Over the course of around 15 minutes, two of the largest worker ants came out, and they did something which to me is new/strange - they went over to the food dish (the edges of which are seen in the pics above), and between them they lifted up three smaller worker ants (I think it was the three that were hovering around the queen) between the thorax/head (so by the "neck"), and carried them back to the nest in their jaws. The small "victim" worker ants curled around as if trying to sting the larger ones all the time they were being carried. I observed them then being put down, and after a brief stunned look, they wandered in to the nest as if everything was normal.

Could this be related? Like were these three smaller ones "brood carers" or "queen guards" or something that came out with the queen (I didn't witness the queen coming out so can't confirm that), and as they didn't follow the queen back in, these two large worker ants basically told them off and dragged them back to the nest themselves?

Any theories/explanations for this behaviour welcome!

Edit: Just before I hit submit, I checked again, and watched yet another ant being carried from the basin back in to the nest, where it promptly started cleaning itself as if nothing had happened after being let go of. So that's at least 4.

[Bob]

Just another example of how complex ants really are and how much about them we really still don't know. Sure we can speculate though as a few will try to do here.

[miszt]

Sounds like they where contemplating moving nest, possibly into the feeding dish (myne have done that before), they will carry younger workers/larvae/queens/males etc to the new nest, as they probly felt disturbed they changed there minds n headed back....just my thoughts

[darradar]

how bizzare, though not for the same reasons as yours, mine did that just today, I had to change my plaster nest over, as the other had wood behind it, which had started a little mill due, so I thought it best to redesign my nest, obviously I had to carefully catch and place the queen and 12 workers and place them in a test tube, whilst I set up the new nest, when I replaced all the ants back, they started running every where, till one found the entry hole to the nest, then they all found it as if by magic, exept 3 that stayed with the queen, (though I know its the trail that the first ant left, directing them all), then they went for the queen, escorted her to the chamber where I had placed the eggs/larvae, and the other 3 ants with her, which they picked up in the very same way as yuors in that photo, all curled up, and yes soon as they put them down, a little paus then striaght back to work... Like you I assumed they are the queens carers.

[sithmaster676]

i cant say much about the behavior but i know why they curl up,
they do this not to sting or harm the one carrying them just to make it easier image trying to carry an ant that was straight and moving and wriggling it would make there life's a lot harder.
Sithmaster676

[heeksy]

hello, my colony of Myrmica Rubra keep acting strange to. i have a starter set, and almost every evening that i go to have a look at them they seemed to have nested in the connecting tube between the farm and basin.

The funny thing is that i am never able to stay there long enough to see where they take them, because if i go and come back ten minutes later there all gone? The test tube is coverd with a bit of card and when ever i try to remove it to have a look they go mad and all over the place. I cant seem to see any in the farm yet.

[darradar]

Heeksy you may want to try and make an entry point in the farm, a start to a tunnel, use a pencil and just push it through on an angle, its just a thought, it might help them decide to move in

[mpir]

I have a M rubra colony with two queens and about 80-90 workers. I find one of the queens in the arena very often. They also like to walk around the nest.
Social transport is quite often and common among the ants. No need to worry about that.

[JimmyVe]

The small "victim" worker ants curled around as if trying to sting the larger ones all the time they were being carried.

In deed like mpir said, this is a very common transport way. No need to worry about that.

Just another example of how complex ants really are and how much about them we really still don't know. Sure we can speculate though as a few will try to do here.

I must say, there is not much complex about the things Azzer told here, but it is true there are so much things we still don't know about ants and maybe never do.

[Mc_Lasius]

I got a Myrmica rubra colonie whit 3-5 queens, and there is one queen that joins the workers in their search food, she is running around drinking som sugar water and sometime she grabs a fruitfly and then she runs back to the nest.

[JimmyVe]

It could be she is not mated and now does the same work as all the other workers.