Unfertile Queen???

[joshmo1993]

I'm still fairly new to ant keeping and I've started a Solenopsis invicta colony with just 1 queen I recently caught from a mating flight. I'm concerned because she has laid eggs in her test tube but its been about 1 week and the eggs still look like small white specs. My main concern is that she didn't successfully copulate and that she is laying "dead" eggs. How can I tell if this is the case? Is it even possible to find a queen that is unmated?


Thanks for all incite.

[Shawn]

Hi Joshmo1993 I found this info here creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/urban/ants/red_imported_fire_ant.htm
Once the female alate has mated, she will rake her legs forward to snap her wings off at the basal suture and find a suitable spot to begin a new colony (Holldobler 1990). Often this spot is under rocks, leaves or in a small crack or crevice, such as at the edge of a sidewalk, driveway, or street. The queen will burrow into the soil to excavate a small chamber, which is sealed off to keep predators out. Within 24 hours of mating, the queen will have laid between 10 to 15 eggs, which will hatch in eight to 10 days. By the time the first group of eggs hatch, the queen will have laid from 75 to 125 more eggs. The larval stage typically lasts six to 12 days and the pupal stage for nine to 16 days. The newly-mated queen will stop laying eggs until the first batch of workers mature. This process takes from two weeks to one month. The queen will feed the first batch of young larvae oils regurgitated from her crop, trophic eggs or secretions from her salivary glands. The queen's wing muscles, which are no longer needed, break down to provide the nutrients for the young larvae (Vinson and Sorenson 1986).

Hope that helps

Shawn

[joshmo1993]

Thanks again. After reading the part where it states that at around 6 months the colony will have several thousand workers I'm feeling just a little overwhelmed . She has grouped all of the eggs together and does seem to be feeding them, so hopefully all will go well. I hope to see some substantial development over the next few days.

[Wood~Ant]

If she's removed her wings, then the chances of her being successfully mated are high. Besides which ant eggs take longer than a week to hatch into larvae, even at fairly high temperatures the eggs will take at least 10 days.
Don't worry Joshmo, as it sounds like you have a perfectly fertile queen who has laid plenty of eggs; and Fire Ant queens are very productive, as Solenopsis invicta can reach really large colony numbers in a relatively short time scale.

Shawn has given you some excellent advice, and hearing about other members over in the USA who've kept this species, you may well have several thousand individual ants in your new colony by the end of the year

[joshmo1993]

The more I hear the more excited I become. Thanks for the information guys

[Soldier Ant Warrior]

S. Invicta

are my favorite ants very easily kept, feed and very productive..

But watch out they are great escape artists!

[toudzard]

Hmm so you cought a unfertilized queen??