My Ant Farm

Pilot · Post by **Pilot** » Tue May 22, 2007 2:53 pm

Strange one of my ants has lain some eggs and they are all cuddling them in and caressing them with their feelers, I don't know if any of you know much about ants, but this is strange behaviour!
All ants in a nest are sisters, no males, once a year the queen ant lays a male egg who becomes a prince with wings, the queen at the same time lays a princess egg, the prince and princess fly off, mate on the wing and then the prince dies, the princess finds a nesting site and starts a new colony of all female ants, how come my little band have produced eggs as I don't have a queen?

Ugly Betty · Post by **Ugly Betty** » Tue May 22, 2007 4:31 pm

Try the info here, Pilot, on the left column.

http://www.planet-pets.com/ants.htm

This one looks like a really good resource for ants.

http://alpha.zimage.com/~ant/antfarm/read/read.html

I hope you find the answer.

Pilot · Post by **Pilot** » Tue May 22, 2007 4:47 pm

Yes very interesting Betty, but I'm puzzled, I don't have a queen ant, but a few days ago a whole bunch of ant eggs appeared, this cannot happen!!!!!!but it most certainly has.

johnc10 · Post by **johnc10** » Tue May 22, 2007 4:50 pm

Sounds like you have an intruder Pilot

Pilot · Post by **Pilot** » Tue May 22, 2007 4:56 pm

The Cuckoo of the ant World!!!!!!!But my ants are in a sealed container, nothing can get in or out without my permission

Pilot · Post by **Pilot** » Tue May 22, 2007 5:03 pm

Well Marrasis it would be difficult, I got them through the post from Italy and they are American ants which are bigger than your average British ant, they are not supposed to send out Queens as they could escape and decimate the local ant population, they are very clever and clean little things, one died down the tunnel this morning and they have spent the day cutting it up into manageable pieces and removing it to the surface.

Pilot · Post by **Pilot** » Tue May 22, 2007 5:37 pm

I've got two ant farms, one has not been used yet, its much bigger than the first one and has its own purple lighting, ants like purple seemingly, how do they find these things out? I was keeping the bigger one for my next bunch of ants, but if I have a breeding colony I might just transfer this bunch.

They're much better than a dog or a cat, not so tying, they just get on with life.

Pilot · Post by **Pilot** » Tue May 22, 2007 5:39 pm

I could wrap up all the pieces of the dead one's and give them to Baldy next time he goes to Italy, maybe he could get a refund on them

johnc10 · Post by **johnc10** » Tue May 22, 2007 5:39 pm

And they don't make a mess on the carpet if you forget to let them out

baldy.smith · Post by **baldy.smith** » Tue May 22, 2007 5:43 pm

An Italian giving a refund

They are more likely to charge you burial fees

Dying is very expensive in Italy, I can't afford to d*e over there

Ugly Betty · Post by **Ugly Betty** » Tue May 22, 2007 6:05 pm

Try this one, Pilot. It seems to indicate that there can be egg-laying ants in a colony without a queen. Not sure if this is the case for yours but it might explain what you're seeing.

http://www.biologie.ens.fr/ecologie/com ... rslb02.pdf

johnc10 · Post by **johnc10** » Tue May 22, 2007 6:10 pm

They could be like some species of frogs which are Asexual

Pilot · Post by **Pilot** » Tue May 22, 2007 6:21 pm

Very interesting Betty, thanks for the link, I'll just have to wait and see what happens and report back, at any one time four and up to twelve ants gather round the egg mass and seem to stroke it with their feelers, the egg mass seems to be made up of maybe twenty tiny white eggs.

sherri · Post by **sherri** » Tue May 22, 2007 10:11 pm

What do you feed them?
Mind you, they are not fussy.
This is unusual for me-hearing of someone actively encouraging ants.
I know, I know, they sound fascinating creatures. just be sure to keep them sealed in. They do sound interesting to watch i suppose.
But the minute I see a little row of them in my house, out comes the spray at the ready and I lay a trail of ant rid.
It is total war here

me against any invasion from the animal world.

sless · Post by **sless** » Tue May 22, 2007 10:12 pm

when i used to go on holiday
i usd to put a bit chicken on the balcony or some jam and watch them
very interesting

memor · Post by **memor** » Wed May 23, 2007 1:08 am

I not had an Ant Farm

But

We once had an Uncle small holding.

Pilot · Post by **Pilot** » Wed May 23, 2007 10:08 am

Sherri the ant farm is like a perspex box with a secure lid, its two thirds full of a see through blue jelly like substance, in this jelly you can plant cress like seedlings to make a forest, the ants make tunnels into the jelly and you watch them underground, the jelly is also food and has all the nourishment they need.

northern · Post by **northern** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:08 am

.

.

malrap · Post by **malrap** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:21 am

The last paragraph,in this from today on the BBC internet site

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6681793.stm

Pilot · Post by **Pilot** » Wed May 23, 2007 11:29 am

Did someone speak or was it the drone of a 40 ton rig?

malrap, I saw this article, maybe they were right about Mary after all.