The Lone Queen

I thought the first swarm had found a new home. Then, a couple of weeks later, I found the queen alone at one of our water buckets...

I made her a small wooden box where she could spend the nights safely away from ants. Every morning she climbed out and searched for her swarm again.

Watch closely. She approaches several workers, who briefly inspect her before flying away.

Day by day she became weaker. On her last morning I carried her to a flowering plant so she could drink nectar once more. Later that day, she quietly died in the little wooden box I had filled with flowers.