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 28 seventh step DHJanzen100110.jpg high resolution
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| This was the queen thorn for the tree in DHJanzen100103.jpg. Note that in contrast to the case with ordinary thorns, where almost all of the worker ants could be induced to leave the brood and go out to attack (and be vacuumed up), about 70 worker ants stayed in the queen thorn with her even when it was torn from the tree. She is very visible in the center with the very distended abdomen. Also included with her are masses of white eggs. The destiny of these eggs would have been to have been carried out to the various ordinary thorns on the tree and the larvae reared there. Larvae are not reared in the queen thorn. There is normally just one reproductive queen in the colony (the winged queens in the colony will not return once they have gone out on their mating flight, and the ant colony kills any queen from any source that attempts to enter the colony). | ||
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