While I was away, my Monomorium minimum queens laid several more eggs. This is a good sign they are fertile and might spawn a colony in a few weeks. These queens are quite mysterious, as their lifespan is unknown. In laboratory conditions, they live for one year, but it is probably longer than that. One colony which was kept in captivity was showing no signs of nearing its end after over a year. This species is highly polygynous, as hundreds of queens can sometimes be found in one colony. They are also extremely prolific, as three queens together produced a mountain of babies! Given that was from three queens, these single queens should produce a decent amount of brood.
