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Jul. 4th, 2006 04:29 pmI am thinking that I should remain ambiguous about the nature of the 600 queens that we collected yesterday, just because of what we subsequently did to them. I'm in a great mood today, but I think it's the paint fumes that are talking. I have been quite productive: first, I weighed 280 of the queens. Then I painted their abdomens different colors. Tomorrow I will put them in farms in pairs and then observe their behavior for five days (we will note how many times they flutter their eyelashes and how limp-wristed they are, for example).
No, seriously--these are ant queens we are talking about. This time of year, the species that I study mates and starts new colonies. Basically, winged queens and males will fly away from their natal nest (parental nest) and mate, and then the queens fly to the ground, tear off their wings, and run around on the ground looking for a good place to start a new nest. Here is a photograph of one of the queens doing just that. When they find a nice-looking spot, they start digging a little nest and then lay their first batch of eggs, which become the first workers. That is, unless a deranged biologist or two come along and get them first!
Oh, I should mention--the males die after mating. They have a difficult life--they're raised by workers, they fly off, mate, and then die. It's hard to be a male ant. All of the ants that you usually see running around are females. It's a society where males are basically useless, aside from the whole reproduction thing.
Anyhoo--we used white and blue paint, in honor of the holiday. Now I think I will go and eat strawberry-rhubarb pie and celebrate, because it's going to be a long week, what with watching ants/etc.
No, seriously--these are ant queens we are talking about. This time of year, the species that I study mates and starts new colonies. Basically, winged queens and males will fly away from their natal nest (parental nest) and mate, and then the queens fly to the ground, tear off their wings, and run around on the ground looking for a good place to start a new nest. Here is a photograph of one of the queens doing just that. When they find a nice-looking spot, they start digging a little nest and then lay their first batch of eggs, which become the first workers. That is, unless a deranged biologist or two come along and get them first!
Oh, I should mention--the males die after mating. They have a difficult life--they're raised by workers, they fly off, mate, and then die. It's hard to be a male ant. All of the ants that you usually see running around are females. It's a society where males are basically useless, aside from the whole reproduction thing.
Anyhoo--we used white and blue paint, in honor of the holiday. Now I think I will go and eat strawberry-rhubarb pie and celebrate, because it's going to be a long week, what with watching ants/etc.
