So here is an update on #tuliptheant the Eastern black carpenter ant median worker with pink dots on her gaster. Tulip has lost most of her paint. If it all flakes off I may lose track of her. She has been very active in the lower chamber bark project, and still hangs out on her branch.
She is over two years old and has seen her colony grow by 100s of ants. #namedAnts #ants
Queen ants can live for decades. The workers tend to live for about two years... though part of why I mark them is to try to see how long they really live.
If all of the paint is about to flake off can't you dab her with the same paint again? You could try to get an extra-small amount on her, though I guess it could be an inherently risky process
To paint her I'd need to catch her and then put her in the fridge so she'd slow down enough that I could paint her.
I already put her through this once in her life and this time she'd know what's up so it'd be harder.
I think I will just try to keep and eye out for her as the paint flakes more and hopefully get a new "max age" for this species.
Ants have a unique walk when compared with most other insects.* They basically always keep 3 legs on the ground at all times. This lets many species ascend vertical and upside-down with seeming impunity (though there is a bit more to that that has to do with their feet)
Think of two tripods. On each side either the middle leg is down, or just the front and back leg are down.
*EDIT: I've realized this isn't correct, it's more typical than I thought
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