Having been thwarted in re-queening Baghdad, I decided to let the new queen go.
The weather had just been too nasty to go back into Baghdad, and on reflection, the old queen was doing fine.
This is pretty much a death sentence, letting the queen go, as she has no hive, her escorts are half-dead, no-one there to feed her, keep her warm, make her tea and scones.
And the back yard is full of spiders lately.
By now she had been in the cage for 5 days, I figured better to just let her out than let her die in the cage.
At least I'd have a chance to have a good look at her.
She staggered out of the un-capped cage, past a bunch of dead or dying escorts.
She went for the candy, had a good feed, then wandered around the table-top she was on.
She often stopped to preen her wings, and spent a lot of time massaging her abdomen with her back legs.
i guess she's full of eggs waiting to be laid.....
She went for the candy, had a good feed, then wandered around the table-top she was on.
She often stopped to preen her wings, and spent a lot of time massaging her abdomen with her back legs.
i guess she's full of eggs waiting to be laid.....
When she goes interstate, she chooses to fly australia post, and brings with her an entourage of 6 escorts, to play cards with in those lonely hours in transit lounges.
Four were now dead, one staggered out immediately and flew off...
Four were now dead, one staggered out immediately and flew off...
... and this poor bugger escort had only 2 out of 4 wings left, and looked completely messed up.
She just found a quiet corner and died.
She just found a quiet corner and died.
The last I saw of the queen. I watched her for about an hour.
Here she's hanging off an edge, rubbing her abdomen, which was twitching and throbbing the whole time...
just like Aliens.
I wandered off for a while, came back and she was gone.
shame to loose anew queen. could you have neuc'd off a box and put her in that. can always rejoin them later
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