ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS > OTHER INSECTS BOTH GOOD AND BAD FOR THE GARDEN

Parasitic ant's!

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nepenthes:
Some of you don't really care probably and are like What the heck ants?

WELL I have found something quite amazing, and it makes me REALLY happy as a myrmophile! (ant enthusiast)

My small first year colony of A. fulva has been destroyed by a parasitic queen. Called A. tenneseensis! This is not the only social parasite you will see pertaining to ants but its a lesser known one. That aside It doesn't happen often in a "lab" (if you could really call my basement in a plastic tray on a flimsy table a lab). This colony has done OVERLY poor as I didn't expect much to happen especially in the last month or so, so the colony lost a few workers, and then I haven't fed them for the past week week and a half... so hopefully theirs some brood to keep the colony numbers up. EITHER way, their is some brood, their is a new queen who destroyed the other.





Some poor quality pictures but its some evidence none the less!

Hope you enjoy this!  :woot: Ask ANY Questions.

Cindi:
nepenthes.  I am kniave to ants, but love to watch them out in my yard.  I have three species I think.  Tiny, tiny little ones, very small, ones that have a black and red body and then the plain black ones, oh ya, there is a fourth, a very large black ant, sometimes I see with wings flying.  They are neat to watch.  I do not now what a parasitic queen is.  Define.  In the picture I see the insect that is big and bulby looking.  Is that the parasitic queen?  Or, what is it?  What does it do, how does it get in the colony.  Don't need a huge definition, just some basics.  How do you keep your ants, are they in a aquarium type apparatus or what.  You have a great day. Cindi

mick:
ANTS! how many you want!!

Interesting pics, Is the blob an ant?

Our Bullants are one of the things in the bush that really hurt when they bite you, like a red hot poker as the saying goes. Interestingly the sap from the bracken fern relieves the pain instantly. A bit of Aboriginal medicine for ya.

This is the reason they hurt so much. Have you seen jaws like that before on anything but a crocodile?

Cindi:
Mick, what the hell on earth is that thing?  I don't think that I have ever seen anything so ugly.  Do you have another picture of it?  Guess I could google it.  I probably will.  But tell you experience of this ugly, ugly thing.  If those are the mandibles of this great insect (I presume it's an insect of some sort), I would surely think that it would give a whollop of a bite.  Tell the story around it Mick.  Great day. Cindi

Jerrymac:
OK I will protest. How does  "Parasitic ant's!"  have anything to do with
"GENERAL BEEKEEPING - MAIN POSTING FORUM"  :?  :?

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