Injured Queen

[ant19]

I was out in the woods yesterday and found a bunch of wing-less queens fighting. There were dead queens curled up around the others.
I was in search of a queen to start a colony so I caught a queen and put her in a private jar with sand/soil mix and honeywater on a cotton ball.

I noticed she has half of a left antennae missing and half a leg missing.
She is seems sick and sits in her enclosure. I had to hand feed her by placing a soaked cotton ball on a toothpick in front of her.
I don't know what species she is but I think she's some type of carpenter ant. I might be able to post a photo soon.
She's quite aggressive and I'm actually a bit scared of her 
She perked up a bit when I fed her then when I put her back in the enclosure. Then she sat around again.

Does anyone have any tips to make her better? I'm a total novice at this so I don't know what's going on with her.
ant19

[Jenny]

Be prepared that she might not make it, it depends how stressed they get and the injuries suffered. Leave the soaked  cotton in a bottle top, and put her in the dark. Don't disturb her for a couple of weeks, they need rest, quiet and warmth as the stress will kill her if you keep looking at her, moving her, opening the lid, light etc
Just hope for the best, it's all you can do. It's a pity you didn't get one that is not injured, as it would have stood a better chance. You also have to hope they have mated.
Another trick for later if they won't dig in, make a few holes with a thin stick or knitting needle, that size of hole, as it tempts the queen to go down one and hopefully lay eggs.

[ant19]

Ok thanks. I'll do that. I hope she makes it! There might be some healthy queens still out there. I saw another one at the same place yesterday.
The place where I found her now looks like a war zone! Do queens fight with one another when they leave the colony often?

[Wood~Ant]

May 6, 2016 18:39:13 GMT ant19 said:

Ok thanks. I'll do that. I hope she makes it! There might be some healthy queens still out there. I saw another one at the same place yesterday.
The place where I found her now looks like a war zone! Do queens fight with one another when they leave the colony often?

Only if they are from other nests, as related ants carry the same scent. Usually related queens are not hostile and either ignore each other or even form a group if they are sisters? Ants from an unrelated nest colony will attack and kill other ants that don't have the same colony scent smell.

[ant19]

Ok thanks. Do you think it might have been some kind of disease?

[Wood~Ant]

May 7, 2016 15:35:51 GMT ant19 said:

Ok thanks. Do you think it might have been some kind of disease?

I very much doubt it, as that would not make them fight. Wars between ants from other nests are more often done by worker ants, so I think that queens would only do so if they were completely unrelated and suitable nesting sites were in high demand. Depending on the species even unrelated queens will form an alliance until the first workers are born, and then it more normal for the workers to kill all but the strongest queen of their choice.