On August 27th 2021, during the great queen rain, I found this Aphaenogaster queen ant. A few days later, she began to lay eggs, forming a small pile. A few weeks later, larvae appeared. Then, the ants’ development took a peculiar turn, as no pupae appeared for over three months. This ant wasn’t interrupted by any brumation period, making her case even more bizzare. The first pupa appeared just under five months after capture, making this the slowest development from any ant I have ever kept. Finally, at just over six months past capture, the queen began the process of unfolding her first nanitic.
