Post B5t9UflCmdryH5YCbw by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) More posts by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) Post #B5X5vTQ26R7UWT3MnI by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-21T22:45:22Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
She is such a good mother. I’m still in shock that she was going to try and live under my keyboard. When I found her she was “hiding” but like most queens she wasn’t aware of how big she is and her faster was visible giving her away. She is now in a luxury NYC ant condo.
(DIR) Post #B5X64hk0DsxxY2nOKm by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-21T22:47:02Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Every time you look at a pet queen ant she will be cleaning the eggs and moving them around. She just spends weeks fussing over them. None have hatched yet.
(DIR) Post #B5X6F5kdoA88uW2zjs by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-21T22:48:52Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Queen ants are not always good at hiding. https://sauropods.win/@futurebird/112667408119691632
(DIR) Post #B5X6kBy6k6UDAbAyP2 by Moss@beige.party
2026-04-21T22:53:49Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I imagine that equivalent to the movie trope where if the scene opens on a bartender, they will always be wiping out glasses with a hand towel.
(DIR) Post #B5X7BMkCmpYyPQdAAa by saltywizard@beige.party
2026-04-21T22:57:17Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird if she can't see you, you can't see her.
(DIR) Post #B5X8Tb7aAhj6AJp4Ai by pawpower@beige.party
2026-04-21T23:13:27Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird All right, another stupid ant question but how does she clean them?
(DIR) Post #B5X8msHUb0hYt6eM1g by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-21T23:17:26Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@pawpower Ants have a mouthpart that's rather like a tongue. I took this video where you can see how they are able to lick surfaces ... this is a harvester ant, but it's something like this:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/NFECL8lJWk8
(DIR) Post #B5X9LzEEl0dIZQrzhA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-21T23:23:46Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@pawpower If there is sugar water on your hand ants will lick you. Very strange sensation.
(DIR) Post #B5X9QSGGkvqZlwx1ou by pawpower@beige.party
2026-04-21T23:24:00Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Actually, I'm deafblind so I can't, but I didn't know that about their mouth. That's interesting.
(DIR) Post #B5X9gMBl6O6RZUQLgG by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-21T23:27:27Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@pawpower The key thing is their mouth is round and under their head behind their mandibles. (people think the mandibles are the mouth they arent)In the video the ant licks the glass and you see her little white "tongue" appear and disappear on the surface" she's very focused on the activity since there is something sweet on the glass.
(DIR) Post #B5XBlryyWLA9XCCWbA by log@mastodon.sdf.org
2026-04-21T23:50:45Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@futurebird Did you just *discover* a queen in the process of moving in to your home? And she is now a pet queen? I think maybe you got played. Check Pica's bank accounts for any recent deposits that could have possibly been laundered out of ant-commodity trading. Aphid honeydew, perhaps?
(DIR) Post #B5XBpTwvogco9iy3Vo by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-21T23:51:31Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@log The whole thing was VERY 'sus' and the kids would say.
(DIR) Post #B5XCIJw284IxUiIaLg by jmax@mastodon.social
2026-04-21T23:56:42Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @log I think you need to add "Ant real estate broker" to Pica's business card.
(DIR) Post #B5XD55R4pGLmiP4Yvw by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-22T00:05:29Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@jmax @log I know ya'll think my house if full of random ants but it's not. This ant came and found me like she was on a mission. I even asked my husband if he planted her there. (he just looked very confused and said "where would I get a queen ant?" ... indeed)
(DIR) Post #B5XEJM5zmUNOOSa07k by jmax@mastodon.social
2026-04-22T00:19:18Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @log Of course not. PIca runs a high-end set of properties; crowding would decrease the value.
(DIR) Post #B5XP5pXebTOVA1Gnk8 by gooser3000@mastodon.social
2026-04-22T02:20:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird what is the first thing a queen does, dig a nest or start laying eggs?
(DIR) Post #B5XPSAhob5StAbfyMq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-22T02:24:10Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@gooser3000 She must find a safe place to nest first and seal herself in... then she will lay eggs. When you put a queen ant in a test tube she will at first be distressed to be trapped... but then after about a day she forgets how she got there assumes it must be the nest she made and starts laying eggs and raising young ants. Ants are very smart for small insects... but there are limits.
(DIR) Post #B5XQLV0WoiTo3uoLjs by gooser3000@mastodon.social
2026-04-22T02:34:09Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird your ant queen cleaning her eggs has me wondering how a colony bootstraps itself -- how much work can/does the queen do before her workers can take over. I assume the queen doesn't typically clean eggs or dig tunnels herself. What about hunting, foraging, or fighting, whatever else an ant does...
(DIR) Post #B5XQlUV3KL7m16TyTo by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-22T02:38:46Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@gooser3000 In most ants the queen has such a large body, so much in fat reserves that she is able to dig a small nest and raise the first 3 or 4 workers without eating at all. Once they are up and running they do the first foraging. At this stage the queen will still help with cleaning the eggs, but soon she starts to focus on laying eggs only. Another function of the queen in young colonies is as a refrigerator. The foragers bring her food, fill her up. She can hold as much as a honey pot.
(DIR) Post #B5XQqvjDWHh5uchXqS by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-22T02:39:51Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@gooser3000 The very first workers are often very small... they have a special name "nantics" ... they are very shy and seem aware of how precarious their colony is at this stage.
(DIR) Post #B5XQzsZ8eCP4i5Fpgm by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-22T02:41:28Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@gooser3000 There are some species of ants where the queen will go out and hunt for food during the early days, but those that lock themselves in are more typical.
(DIR) Post #B5XRSr0XWFTQH9t4kK by semitones@tiny.tilde.website
2026-04-22T02:46:34Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @gooser3000 I love the word "Nanitic" to refer to that first brood of workers a queen raises to do the initial foraging. As I understand it from watching Ants Canada, they are quite a bit smaller and very cute! The only problem is I keep getting it confused with Niantic, the location data company that also makes Pokemon Go.
(DIR) Post #B5XU01gd2Ir4rOWH9k by gooser3000@mastodon.social
2026-04-22T03:12:10Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@semitones @futurebird there's a relatively recent genre of "survival" games where you're shipwrecked and have to bootstrap whatever you need to survive (gather some sticks and a rock to make an axe and start chopping down trees to make shelter, etc.). Maybe we'll get an ant queen survival sim someday.
(DIR) Post #B5XU02ykEQwMrs0G24 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-22T03:15:05Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@gooser3000 @semitones There are a few good ant colony games, but not one that really captures the tight margins of early colony life. Do you lay another egg and try to raise one one worker, or hope that the two you have can find more food first?
(DIR) Post #B5Xc0Y7HGJUB4ZkEaG by clew@ecoevo.social
2026-04-22T04:44:46Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Do the eggs need cleaning once, or regularly, or mostly turning and rearranging like bird eggs, or???@futurebird @gooser3000
(DIR) Post #B5Y4om5KOnGHaiZQwa by markwyner@mas.to
2026-04-22T10:07:35Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I love everything about this.
(DIR) Post #B5Y65SIRKEAj5yDmcK by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-04-22T10:21:53Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@clew @gooser3000 The eggs seem to need to be cleaned at least every day. If you collect ant eggs and do not also collect a worker or queen to tend them they will wither and turn brown in about a day without care and attention. So, I think they are even more fragile than some bird eggs. I don't know if moving them is also important, but the ants do this so it's likely they need to be moved too in order to keep developing.
(DIR) Post #B5cSUsT68BGN85ZctU by semitones@tiny.tilde.website
2026-04-24T12:51:41Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird @gooser3000 Are there any you recommend?
(DIR) Post #B5t6Wm8hjnnWm8qyFE by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-02T13:35:46Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Quick update on my new queen carpenter ant: she seems to be doing well living in her glass test tube inside of my pen drawer. I checked on her today and gave her a drop of water which she accepted and drank. Her eggs are slowly developing.
(DIR) Post #B5t6rLsAakkTOMvmcq by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-02T13:39:28Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
People rifling through my desk drawers are bound to have a surprise. (This drawer is in a quiet place with few vibrations so that she experiences less stress. This kind of queen can live for over a decade. She is a simple and gentle creature. This time she didn't freak out when I removed the cotton to give her extra water. There is water behind the cotton, but it's hard for her to drink and I want her well hydrated. )
(DIR) Post #B5t8gMPkRCRznKWWdk by jmax@mastodon.social
2026-05-02T13:59:52Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird At what point does she need to be moved to bigger quarters?
(DIR) Post #B5t8tuegRTVjktyJXc by MLE_online@social.afront.org
2026-05-02T14:02:17Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird what's the next step for her and then once they hatch?
(DIR) Post #B5t9JdqBa3Qt8ScWPY by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-02T14:07:00Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@jmax Once she has two daughters ready to forage. At that point I will connect the tube to a little terrarium box (about 5cm cube)After a year if there are about two dozen ants living in the tube I will get them a small wooden nest like this one. Carpenter ants do best in wooden nests and it looks wonderful. Since it's not a rotting tree, but rather uncompromized hardwood they can't escape. This is also why I'm so confident when I tell people "they can't bore wood unless it's rotten"
(DIR) Post #B5t9UflCmdryH5YCbw by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-02T14:08:59Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@jmax One of the most rewarding parts of ant-keeping is watching the first ants going out to forage for the first time. They are so nervous and cautious and it's not something you get to see with wild ants as much since most wild colonies that you'd notice are a few years old and very confident and busy. Watching a tiny nantic get her first fruit fly "for mom" is ... I know it sounds silly but it's so touching and sweet.
(DIR) Post #B5tAvqKRhMhQpCYP1E by MarvinFreeman@mastodon.online
2026-05-02T14:25:03Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird (I love that fountain pen. I have a couple because I love the smiley faces. I give them to people who want to try out a fountain pen. A bit scratchy for everyday use.)
(DIR) Post #B5tRZ5WAl3KIUem4Tg by moira@mastodon.murkworks.net
2026-05-02T17:31:25Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird separately, i see we have had similar tastes in pens xD
(DIR) Post #B5taIMKpsVQdJcZNSq by leonardof@bertha.social
2026-05-02T19:09:14Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@julia now you can protect your fountain pens!cc @futurebird
(DIR) Post #B5tsxMU021qWp0YavI by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-02T22:38:24Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@MLE_online I hook them up to a little area where they can forage and collect food and they grow the colony further.
(DIR) Post #B5tvtFnPFexwmpMpJQ by MLE_online@social.afront.org
2026-05-02T23:11:13Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird so after they hatch, she's going to feed them as larvae until they're old enough to go get food for her?
(DIR) Post #B5tw81GRYus03qzR6e by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-02T23:13:56Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@MLE_online Yup. She feeds them trophic eggs. All the energy to create the first workers has to come from her.
(DIR) Post #B5twPyl5cJi1VCt7tg by MLE_online@social.afront.org
2026-05-02T23:17:08Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird i did not realize ants did that. It's neat to think of the ant parallel to milk
(DIR) Post #B66OJiR8W8BHkzsNdI by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-08T23:26:18Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
Queen update! Her eggs have hatched and are now larvae. She will feed them “trophic egg” which are eggs that cannot hatch.
(DIR) Post #B66OkAjFwx8P26y0Z6 by waitworry@sakurajima.moe
2026-05-08T23:31:04Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird when does she get to move out of the tube?
(DIR) Post #B66P681OhFKP0UvDIO by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-08T23:35:05Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@waitworry In the coming weeks the larvae will grow and in about 3 weeks they will spin silk cocoons. Then after maybe 3 more weeks they will emerge and be ready to forage outside the tube. As the queen she will not leave until they outgrow this test tube and that could take over a year since dozens and dozens of ants will live in there (with an area connected for them to explore)So maybe next year if she's doing well she will make a run for a larger nest protected by daughters.
(DIR) Post #B66P9XxUigAmJmj5e4 by mxchara@seattle.pink
2026-05-08T23:31:38Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird aw, cute critter. this the mystery ant queen, I take it?
(DIR) Post #B66P9ZJ9hd5sVFru2y by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-08T23:35:40Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@mxchara Yes. This is her thread.
(DIR) Post #B66QFqdkH7jpwv3cKO by michaelgemar@cosocial.ca
2026-05-08T23:45:44Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird That’s a very cool way to feed larvae! What is the queen eating? Are you feeding her nectar of some kind?
(DIR) Post #B66QTqlCcnSCNPDpSa by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-08T23:50:34Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@michaelgemar She is able to fast for half a year during this stage in development. When I first found her I gave her a cricket leg and some sugar water. Now I just give her a drop of water so she stays hydrated. In a month I may offer some sugar or insect again.Right now I think she'd reject it. She is using her fat to do all of this, and dissolving her wing muscles which are not needed now. Can you make a person to help you with your fat? Amazing isn't it!
(DIR) Post #B66Qaj9NJjuYnjo9HU by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-08T23:51:49Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@michaelgemar It's very tempting to try feeding her again, but from experience unless she eats the food the residue can cause problems with the eggs. So better to just let her fast, as that's how it works in the wild.
(DIR) Post #B66QiaVBM5ioIOkwNs by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-08T23:53:14Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@michaelgemar There is a good reason she is called a "cloistered queen" she is like a nun fasting in her cell!
(DIR) Post #B66R0vMeWnU6DCVgRc by michaelgemar@cosocial.ca
2026-05-08T23:55:16Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird It’s wild that she can do all this with stored energy. And yeah, I’d love to be able to produce trophic eggs as a way to lose weight.
(DIR) Post #B66UVo5ZvYnaUGwQF6 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-09T00:35:45Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
If you look carefully at the eggs and larvae you can tell the ones that have hatched because they have a mouth. That is the little bit that curls over. The eggs without mouths are probably trophic and will be food.There is a hit resource management mobile game in this I swear!
(DIR) Post #B66UrLIrdHexa4QNnM by notthatdelta@furry.engineer
2026-05-09T00:39:36Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird out of curiosity, how do the hatching larvae know to only eat the trophic eggs? Is it a scent/pheremone thing?Seems like a free for all, "whoever hatches first wins" would be inefficent.
(DIR) Post #B66Uw7CjTmdJIlpfKi by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-09T00:40:27Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
There is some reason to believe that ants could have memories from their time as larvae. They are exposed to the food and other ants in their colony. They have a sense if it's a time of plenty or a time of precarious survival and this may shape their size and personality. Though they really become "real ants" after they emerge from their silk pupae.
(DIR) Post #B66V6pkMj64cLMftwW by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-09T00:42:26Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@notthatdelta Unlike more mobile larvae, eg. caterpillars young ants and bees can't move unless they are carried. The queen will put an egg near them so they can eat and break it open. They do not seem to nibble on anything "alive" how they know? I don't know.
(DIR) Post #B66VmEv62QvKI0RDYe by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-09T00:49:55Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
In weaver ants the larvae are used like silk guns to hold leaves together. People imagine the adult ants squeezing them like little tubes of glue, but this *isn't* how it works. In fact, the larvae is an active participant in the weaving. She will lean out and attachment a new silk anchor when tapped on the head by her older sister, then spool out silk as she moved until she is tapped again... this makes her make another attachment. They are both aware and working together.
(DIR) Post #B66Vy2LcbhUMlxTDtI by notthatdelta@furry.engineer
2026-05-09T00:52:00Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird super cool! So it's basically up to the queen, but we don't know how she knows?The important thing is that she's got it figured out, I guess!
(DIR) Post #B66W0h9xq9ChvaHk80 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-09T00:52:32Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
So, weaver ant larvae can respond to signals and help with colony work even as larvae. All while their older sisters drum on their head with their antennae.
(DIR) Post #B66XoXCBGF2RSQeQGO by msbellows@c.im
2026-05-09T01:12:43Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Man, I wish we could've gotten *our* children to help like that when they were little.
(DIR) Post #B66Z9kRTIzeoZoTyqW by roytoo@mstdn.social
2026-05-09T01:27:43Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Thanks as always for your ant posts. I always learn something and appreciate them even more.🐜 ♥️
(DIR) Post #B66a48Ea2AbiaDL37Q by llewelly@sauropods.win
2026-05-09T01:37:59Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird for some moths, and some beetles, taste test memory experiments have been done, which show that if a larvae is exposed to a nasty flavor enough times, they recall it as an adult. Have such experiments been done for ants?
(DIR) Post #B66bycqrUC5riDkLfU by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-09T01:59:23Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@llewelly No, but there has to be some interesting questions here. (Pupation is a less violent and extreme process for ants than it is for caterpillars. So I'd bet on ants remembering more)
(DIR) Post #B66mwFpjCBFrEsHvU0 by ubi@ecoevo.social
2026-05-09T04:02:09Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird I miss the time when games like SimAnt were a thing.
(DIR) Post #B67KUzeEf3AZfD5L5k by NatureMC@mastodon.online
2026-05-09T10:18:12Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Ah, that was exactly my question, too, thanks for explaining it! I couldn't imagine that an ant could/should live in such a small glass tube. Does the queen has to be isolated from other ants because she is new or do the queens isolate themselves always? @jmax
(DIR) Post #B67KrQpKI7Y6KPyKzw by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-09T10:22:19Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@NatureMC @jmax Like so many things with the over 20,000 species of ants on earth it varies. There are two main strategies however:Cloistered Queens: Like a nun in her cloister or cell these queens seal themselves away. You can't get eaten by a bird if you never leave the house. These queens are fat, and have the reserves to raise the first generation without eating. Hunting Queens: These queens will make a nest and hunt and forage while raising the first generation.
(DIR) Post #B67L7OL5JBbDFJRAJ6 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-05-09T10:25:11Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@NatureMC @jmax But, of course, it can never be simple with ants so you also have "semi-cloistered" queens who are very fat, but also may hunt just a little. Then there is the mater of polygynous vs. monogynous founding strategies. The typical ant pattern is a monogynous founding (one queen only!) but some ant queens will found a nest together.Later they may fight so there is only one queen... or not. Ants have so many strategies for every possible environment.
(DIR) Post #B67LAsGGVy5UuuqMme by NatureMC@mastodon.online
2026-05-09T10:25:48Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird Fascinating! I appreciate so much to learn more about ants with you - thank you! @jmax
(DIR) Post #B67UcbCKRtfzgvIUvw by elduvelle@neuromatch.social
2026-05-09T12:11:36Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@futurebird it would be great to have a hashtag for this queen! I'd like to be able to check on her regularly ☺️