111 replies to this topic

[TennesseeAnts]

How is this possible. You guys have amazing luck. Or I'm just natural ant repellant.

Again, not luck, just skillz.

[CatsnAnts]

I should probably mention that I found a Strumigenys pilinasis dealate today. I was looking through mulch, flipping it over an what not, and to my left I noticed something move (it was on the undisturbed mulch). Thought it was a temnothorax worker, turned out to be this queen. I also know that a colony of these ants lives somewhere in that mulch, I really want to find them.

Where is this?

Jasper Indiana. It’s been raining for the past 3 days and the temp was about 75 degrees with high humidity. Seriously though, if you have trees in your yard (landscaping is not recommended) with mulch around them, it’s literally an ant MAGNET. The mulch keeps the soil moist. Literally today, I also found a whole Strumigenys colony under the mulch (although I didn’t collect it), a ponera pennsylvanica queen with brood, and a Myrmecina americana queen. Also, Lasius interjectus REALLY like mulch, I’ve found at least 12 queens so far. Aphenohgaster tends to live there too, I’ve already found two colonies with queens exposed. Temnothorax find the wood a great place to live because the mulch sticks are like tiny acorns. OVERALL, if you want to find ants, I recomend just going to some mulch (ours is cedar, I think) and just flipping it over exposing the dirt. I’ve never even seen cryptic ants in my life until I did this.

[ponerinecat]

 

 

I should probably mention that I found a Strumigenys pilinasis dealate today. I was looking through mulch, flipping it over an what not, and to my left I noticed something move (it was on the undisturbed mulch). Thought it was a temnothorax worker, turned out to be this queen. I also know that a colony of these ants lives somewhere in that mulch, I really want to find them.

Where is this?

Jasper Indiana. It’s been raining for the past 3 days and the temp was about 75 degrees with high humidity. Seriously though, if you have trees in your yard (landscaping is not recommended) with mulch around them, it’s literally an ant MAGNET. The mulch keeps the soil moist. Literally today, I also found a whole Strumigenys colony under the mulch (although I didn’t collect it), a ponera pennsylvanica queen with brood, and a Myrmecina americana queen. Also, Lasius interjectus REALLY like mulch, I’ve found at least 12 queens so far. Aphenohgaster tends to live there too, I’ve already found two colonies with queens exposed. Temnothorax find the wood a great place to live because the mulch sticks are like tiny acorns. OVERALL, if you want to find ants, I recomend just going to some mulch (ours is cedar, I think) and just flipping it over exposing the dirt. I’ve never even seen cryptic ants in my life until I did this.

 

 

cool, ill have to try that.

 

Meanwhile, in China I found a small ponerine, around a half inch in length, under a rock with rather sandy soil. The body shape was similar to platythera. Any theories to what it was?

[ponerinecat]

Went back to the place I found the unknown ant, found another type. Anyone know what it is?

 

 

[Ferox_Formicae]

 

Went back to the place I found the unknown ant, found another type. Anyone know what it is?

 

 

 

She looks like some sort of Stenamma.

[ponerinecat]

thanks. they play dead and curl into little balls. its not very convincing, as it lasts less than a second.

[ponerinecat]

Stigmatomma flew last night

[ponerinecat]

A good way to collect these is to use pitfalls. found five hypo opacior workers and one queen, and 3 hypo cf opaciceps workers in one day.

[ponerinecat]

Drill a hole into the gound deep as you can go and then place the pitfalls in. queens are attracted to malaise traps. a davis sifter and berlese filter work well too.

[ponerinecat]

anyone in cali who wants stigmatomma, there's a more common type than pallipes. stigmatomma oregonense is regionally common in conifer forest around tahoe, and nest in rotting logs, making collection easier.

[NickAnter]

Hmm. We go camping every year in the Sierras near Mammoth. Maybe I can find somethere next year. What I really want to get there is Manica though. There is a huge population on the banks of the north arm of a lake near Mammoth. They had colonies in the tens of thousands.

[EthanNgo678]

I found a Stenamma queen in my Nepethes ventricosa. 

[ponerinecat]

Nice

pics?

Edited by ponerinecat, October 6 2019 - 6:16 PM.

[EthanNgo678]

Nice

pics?

I would if I could.

[ponerinecat]

Nearly forgot about this. Found Hypoponera punctatissima under dried leaves in developed landscaping. Also a great time to look for Hypoponera queens, I found two today, one under a rock and another under wood in a burn pile. Combined the two with a queen from earlier found under a rock by the chicken coop.

[ponerinecat]

This is interesting. Found stenamma for the first time near me, and it was under a newly moved board, laying on still green grass. My guess is that their nest is inside. I may try to collect them sometime.

[TennesseeAnts]

Found a Hypoponera colony today. At least 60 workers and one ergatoid gyne present

[ponerinecat]

Nice. That is a bit surprising, ergatoid gyne colonies are usually polygyne.

[TheMicroPlanet]

Maybe it's secondarily monogyne.

Edited by TheMicroPlanet, March 18 2020 - 3:10 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

Nice. That is a bit surprising, ergatoid gyne colonies are usually polygyne.

I meant they have at least one ergatoid gyne.