Red Imported Fire Ants:1 Capability of Queens from Established Colonies and of Newly-mated Queens to Establish Colonies in the Laboratory2

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Abstract
Fifty-nine physogastric queens of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, taken from established mounds in the field, and 50 de-alated females taken from a multiple queen colony, did not successfully found colonies in the laboratory when they were held without worker ants. All the physogastric queens were dead by 8 wk, and all the de-alated females were dead by 12 wk after initiation of the tests. When such queens were held with 25 or more worker ants, survival of the queens was enhanced and colonies were established. In contrast, 74% of 150 newly-mated queens did successfully found colonies within 8 wk in the laboratory.

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