Rundown On What To Do When You Find a Queen - AntsCanada Tutorial #16

Summary

Ants Canada's informative script offers guidance on capturing and caring for queen ants, emphasizing the importance of identifying fertilized queens, proper housing, and feeding practices. It also touches on the benefits of dark environments and the necessity of patience in ant colony development.

Takeaways

• 🐜 Capture a queen ant late during ant copulation to ensure she's fertilized and can produce a colony.
• 🚫 Unfertilized queens are not useful as they can only produce male ants.
• 👀 Queens with wings attached might still be fertilized, so they're still a good catch.
• 🐝 Male ants resemble wasps with big eyes and smaller jaws, unlike queens.
• 🏺 Transfer the captured queen into a proper setup like a test tube or a formicarium for her colony to start.
• 🏡 House your queen ant alone to avoid issues, even if she's from a polygynous species.
• 💡 Keep the queen ant in a dark and undisturbed place for optimal conditions.
• 🍯 Offer a tiny honey drop to the queen ant, but avoid large amounts to prevent drowning.
• 🚫 Avoid feeding insects to the queen ant as it's not necessary and can lead to mold.
• 🌡️ Increase the temperature slightly to speed up the queen's egg-laying process.
• 🌳 Hibernate your ants annually to give the queen a break and encourage more egg-laying when warm weather returns.

Q & A

What is the best time to capture an ant queen for starting a new colony?

The best time to capture an ant queen is late during ant copulation, ensuring she is inseminated and can give birth to a fertile colony.

Why are unfertilized queens not useful for starting a colony?

Unfertilized queens can only give birth to male ants, as ant sex is determined by the number of genes and requires male sperm to produce a full range of offspring.

Can a queen ant with wings still be fertilized?

Yes, a queen ant with wings still attached can be fertilized. The presence of wings does not necessarily indicate that she is unfertilized.

How can you distinguish between a queen ant and a male ant?

Male ants resemble wasps with big eyes, smaller jaws, and sometimes antennae shaped like a beam. It's recommended to check Google Images for visual references.

What should be done immediately after capturing a queen ant?

After capturing a queen ant, she should be bottled up and transferred into a proper setup, such as a test tube, where her colony can start.

Why is it recommended to house a queen ant alone?

Housing a queen ant alone, even of a polygynous species, reduces the risk of conflicts and ensures the health of the new colony.

What kind of environment is best for a queen ant during the initial stages?

A queen ant needs a peaceful and dark environment, with minimal disturbance, which is easier to achieve with dark-loving ants.

Should you feed a queen ant immediately after capturing her?

No, the queen ant does not need food immediately as she has enough nourishment to raise her brood. Offering food too soon may scare her.

What is the recommended food for a queen ant if you decide to feed her?

A tiny honey drop created with a toothpick is recommended, as a large amount can drown the queen ant.

What are semi-claustral queens and how do they differ in care?

Semi-claustral queens, such as Pogonomyrmex, need a proper setup where they can hunt and feed themselves during the founding process, unlike other queens that fast.

How long does it usually take for a queen ant to start laying eggs?

Egg-laying may take about 10 days, but it can vary, and patience is key. Keeping the queen at a warmer temperature can speed up the process.

What is the recommended method for moving a growing ant colony?

It's best to wait until there are some workers to move the colony, reducing the risk of disturbing the queen and making the process less messy.

Why is it important to hibernate ants each year?

Hibernation gives the queen a break from egg-laying and, when warm weather returns, she is more eager to produce more eggs.

Outlines

00:00

🐜 Queen Ant Care Tips

This paragraph provides a comprehensive guide on how to care for queen ants, particularly those caught during ant nuptial flights. It emphasizes the importance of capturing a queen late during ant copulation to ensure fertilization and the potential for a thriving colony. The script clarifies that unfertilized queens are not useful for colony growth, as they can only produce male ants. It also advises on how to identify a queen from male ants, noting their physical differences. The paragraph further details the process of transferring the queen into a proper setup, such as a test tube or a formicarium, and the importance of housing her alone. It suggests keeping the queen in a dark, undisturbed place and offers tips on feeding, such as offering a tiny honey drop. The script also mentions the special needs of semi-claustral queens and the importance of patience in the egg-laying process. Additionally, it advises on maintaining the right temperature and the benefits of hibernation for the queen and her colony.

05:01

🌟 Ant Care Persistence and Love

The second paragraph serves as a motivational and supportive message for those who may face challenges in caring for their pet ants. It encourages persistence and love towards the ants, suggesting that these qualities will help in overcoming any difficulties. The script ends with a note of thanks to the camera fans and a humorous reference to 'Holloway turnoff for mercury,' possibly indicating a light-hearted or playful tone to the video script.

Keywords

💡Ant Nuptial Flight

Ant nuptial flight refers to the mating event where winged male and female ants, known as alates, leave their colonies to mate in the air. This is a critical event for the establishment of new colonies. In the script, it sets the context for the importance of capturing a queen ant during this period to ensure she is fertilized and can give birth to a productive colony.

💡Queen Ant

A queen ant is the reproductive female in an ant colony, responsible for laying eggs and ensuring the colony's growth. The script emphasizes the significance of capturing a fertilized queen ant to start a new colony and provides tips on how to care for her, highlighting the queen's role in the video's theme of ant colony establishment.

💡Fertilization

Fertilization in the context of ants is the process where a queen mates with male ants, receiving sperm that she will use to fertilize her eggs. The script explains that capturing a queen late during copulation increases the chances of her being fertilized, which is essential for the creation of a viable colony.

💡Unfertilized Queens

Unfertilized queens are female ants that have not mated and therefore cannot produce a full range of offspring. The script points out that these queens are not useful for colony establishment because they can only produce male ants, which is a limitation in creating a sustainable colony.

💡Male Ants

Male ants, or drones, are the non-worker, non-reproductive male members of an ant colony. The script mentions that only male ants can be born from an unfertilized queen, which is not ideal for colony development as it lacks the worker ants necessary for the colony's survival.

💡Semi-Claustral Queens

Semi-claustral queens are a type of queen ant that requires a specific setup to forage for food during the founding process. The script differentiates these queens from others, noting that they need a proper environment to hunt and feed themselves, which is a unique requirement in the care of queen ants.

💡Test Tube Setup

A test tube setup is a method for housing a queen ant in a confined space, allowing her to start a colony. The script recommends using a test tube or a formicarium for housing the queen, which is a practical example of how to provide an initial environment for a new ant colony.

💡Polygynous Species

Polygynous species are those that have multiple reproductive females in a single colony. The script advises against housing multiple queens of a polygynous species together, as it can lead to conflict and is not recommended for successful colony establishment.

💡Hibernation

Hibernation in ants is a period of dormancy, often during the winter months, where the queen and the colony reduce activity. The script suggests hibernating the ants annually to give the queen a break from egg-laying and to stimulate egg production when warmer weather returns.

💡Egg to Adult Development

The development from egg to adult in ants is a process that involves several stages, including larva and pupa. The script mentions that keeping the queen's environment warmer can speed up this developmental process, which is crucial for the rapid growth of the ant colony.

💡Formicarium

A formicarium is an artificial nest or enclosure specifically designed for keeping and observing ants. The script refers to the formicarium as a recommended housing option for the queen ant, illustrating the importance of a suitable environment for the colony's growth.

Highlights

Ant nuptial flight is the best time to capture a queen ant for a new colony.

Capturing a queen late during ant copulation ensures she is fertilized and can produce a great colony.

Unfertilized queens are useless for colony creation as they can only produce male ants.

Queen ants with wings still attached may still be fertilized and are good to catch.

Males look like wasps and can be distinguished from queens by their smaller jaws and antennae.

Properly bottle or transfer the queen into a test tube setup for her colony to start.

Housing the queen ant solo is recommended, even for polygynous species.

Ants Canada suggests keeping queen ants in a dark and undisturbed environment.

Offering food to the queen ant is not necessary as she has enough nourishment to raise her brood.

A tiny honey drop can be offered as food, but a large amount can drown the queen.

Feeding insects to the queen ant is not recommended to prevent mold growth.

Semi-claustral queens need a proper setup to hunt and feed themselves during the founding process.

Egg-laying times may vary, but patience is key for the queen to lay eggs and start a colony.

Keeping the queen two degrees warmer can speed up the growth from egg to full-grown ants.

If the queen's abdomen is ballooning, it indicates that a family is forming.

Moldy cotton or water issues in the test tube setup should be addressed by attaching a new test tube.

It's best to wait for some workers before moving the colony to reduce the risk of disturbing the queen.

Hibernating the ants each year gives the queen a break and encourages more egg-laying when warm weather returns.

Caring for a queen ant is easier with the right tips and patience.

Ants Canada provides resources and assistance for ant care and colony management.

Transcripts

if you're amidst an ant nuptial flight

and the Queen elate may come in sight

there are some things to know but calm

your fright because aunt Canada is here

to help you get it right we've created a

poem to answer some questions on caring

for Queens and some Queen care

suggestions because a lot of you caught

Queens on ant hunting sessions and for

that we send you a warm congratulations

first keep in mind that the best

situation is to capture a queen a late

during ant copulation this way you're

certain there's insemination and she'll

give you a great colony due to her

fertilization useless to you are the

unfertilized Queens and since ant sex is

determined by the number of genes

without a male sperm to complete the

whole scheme only male ants can be born

from any virgin queen so if the Queen

and you catch gives birth to an egg

which becomes a pupa with girth and out

comes a male elate as her very first

then it's impossible to make any colony

work if you find a queen elate with

wings still attached doesn't mean she's

unfertilized she's still a good catch

she may still have made it and just

hadn't detached the pair of wings used

when she was romantically matched also

make sure you indeed have a queen males

look more like wasps with big eyes for

the seeing smaller jaws and sometimes

guests are shaped like a beam check

Google Images to see what I mean

when you catch her you must bottle her

up and transfer her into a proper setup

and Canada formic areum and you can't

screw up or in a test tube where her

colony can start up we recommend you

house your queen and solo even a

quote-unquote polygynous species could

end in sorrow it's not worth the risk

and if you don't know watch some of our

videos on player mitosis bubble lots of

people keep their queen ants in the

light we at ants Canada have found it

sometimes too bright for the Queen's who

need peace and darkness just right

an undisturbed place or and Canada nest

site plus having dark loving ants is

really very smart because ants that are

conditioned to like living in the dark

are easier to migrate if they need a

fresh start

into a new nest by covering the glass

part during this time you don't need to

give food she has all the nourishment

needed to raise her own brood what's

more important now is not spoiling her

mood and offering her meals may just

scare her not good if you want you can

offer her a tiny honey drop created with

a toothpick because a super-huge plop

can drown your queen ant so just a tiny

tiny dot will be enough to fill up her

tiny tiny crop sometimes people like to

feed their queen ants insects again not

necessary as she has energy in her

thorax plus you don't want mold to grow

and make things complex

she's a fasting queen ant not a raging

hungry t-rex the only exception are semi

claustral Queens they'll need a proper

set up so they can go out when they need

to find food themselves they hunt and

they feed during the founding process

above-ground shall be seen examples of

Queens that are semi claustral kind are

Pagano mer Max Mirnyi Xie and Marika

Queen finds check our FAQ and database

compiled by experienced and mines to see

if your queen needs food and special

hunting time egg-laying times may take

about 10 days but sometimes the Queen

takes more than 10 days laying in the

spring next year Sun ablaze in the world

event keeping patience is key always

keeping your queen two degrees warmer

will cut the waiting time to much much

shorter for quick growth from egg to

full-grown daughter simply have a

heating cable touch one tiny corner try

not to bother her but watch her abdomen

in two weeks if it's ballooning you know

a family's happening but don't worry too

much of her but isn't fattening she

still may be pregnant

skinny Queens don't be chucking them if

you choose the test tube rope and the

cotton gets moldy or water runs out

attach a new test tube for the ants to

scout eventually they'll move in on

their own no dough moving your colony

into the

can happen at any stage but we feel that

it's best to wait for some workers so

the risks are less because you won't

have to touch them and make a big mess

remember to hibernate your ants each

year to give a break from egg-laying to

the Queen you hold dear plus the cold

weather will cause her to be eager to

produce more eggs when warm weather

draws near caring for a queen is easier

than you think

with these neat tips you'll have a

colony in a blink we know a lack of

confidence will soon begin to shrink

with ants canada.com need help click the

link we truly hope this poem has been of

assistance and unsolveds

remember if you fail reach for ant like

persistence love your pet ants and ant

love will go the distance the end

thanks camera fans

Holloway turnoff for mercury