Queen Cells

Post here for any notes or records of sightings in the wild. Behaviour, nuptial flights etc, everything about these ants from the Tropics!
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Acromyrmexbob
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Queen Cells

Post by Acromyrmexbob » Sun Jan 22, 2017 9:09 pm

Not sure if this is the correct place to post this but I wanted to share an observation I have made based on several colonies and something they have done which, on reflection, I know I have seen many times but only now stopped and noticed. When you fill a container with fungus the ants remove a great quantity of it both to get rid of the waste and also to create space. However, for the queen, they often create a deep pocket for her. I wondered if this was because in a small container there is very little room for her so they make her a space or if this is down to defense and the ease of defending a buried 'cell'.
Anyway I have seen this is fungus filled chambers in nature also so it is not a behaviour that is restricted to captive colonies.

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Interested if anyone else can confirm the regular existance of 'Queen Cells'.

Formica123
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Re: Queen Cells

Post by Formica123 » Mon Jan 23, 2017 5:33 am

Acromyrmexbob wrote:Not sure if this is the correct place to post this but I wanted to share an observation I have made based on several colonies and something they have done which, on reflection, I know I have seen many times but only now stopped and noticed. When you fill a container with fungus the ants remove a great quantity of it both to get rid of the waste and also to create space. However, for the queen, they often create a deep pocket for her. I wondered if this was because in a small container there is very little room for her so they make her a space or if this is down to defense and the ease of defending a buried 'cell'.
Anyway I have seen this is fungus filled chambers in nature also so it is not a behaviour that is restricted to captive colonies.

Image

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Interested if anyone else can confirm the regular existance of 'Queen Cells'.
My atta have created one the last few days, I thought they were just stupid
I keep over 20 species of ant, inc. Acromyrmex Octospinosus
Owner of AntKeepingShop (www.antkeepingshop.weebly.com)

Atta solider
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Re: Queen Cells

Post by Atta solider » Wed Mar 29, 2017 8:06 pm

My atta do that for her they make a chamber and she stays there and they build the fungus around her and couple hours later she's gone covered up buy fungus

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Acromyrmexbob
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Re: Queen Cells

Post by Acromyrmexbob » Thu Mar 30, 2017 9:08 am

Yes, they like to hide the queen in larger colonies! Can be difficult to know where she is. When we dig wild colonies with multiple gardens we generally find the queen in the garden with most brood.

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