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Ant_Dude2908's Solenopsis cf. carolinensis Journal (Discontinued)


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#1 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted March 21 2019 - 2:01 PM

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I found a queen and around 150 workers in a small stick. (They are not Temnothorax, I checked.) I only collected about 10 workers, because they are soooo small.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, April 14 2019 - 7:02 AM.

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#2 Offline Rstheant - Posted March 21 2019 - 2:27 PM

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Stop collecting wild colonies!! Let them grow, then you’ll have nuptial flights as the colony progressively gets larger! My opinion though...

:ugone2far:
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#3 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted March 21 2019 - 2:43 PM

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Yeah, I rotate my hunting grounds yearly. And this stick was firewood anyways. Also, if I did not collect this colony, I would never find a queen from a flight because they are so small.
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#4 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted March 21 2019 - 2:45 PM

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I am setting up a blacklight trap tonight though because the C. americanus colonies in my yard had alates at the surface!!!
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#5 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted March 21 2019 - 5:00 PM

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Stop collecting wild colonies!! Let them grow, then you’ll have nuptial flights as the colony progressively gets larger! My opinion though...
:ugone2far:


Also when my Camponotus chromaiodes colony gets alates this year, I'm releasing the alates. Doo nature a favor. :)

#6 Offline YsTheAnt - Posted March 21 2019 - 6:42 PM

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He has a point though, overcollecting established colonies is not good for the environment. Founding queens is a much more environmentally friendly method.

Of course collecting one or two colonies won't do anything drastic, but I wouldn't go overboard :lol:.
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#7 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted March 21 2019 - 6:52 PM

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Oh I can assure you, there are plenty of colonies in those woods! It spans around 50 acres. And I am not over collecting. :) Most of the colonies I collect are either founding colonies, or queens with brood.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, March 21 2019 - 6:53 PM.


#8 Offline ANTdrew - Posted March 22 2019 - 5:19 AM

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You have great skill at finding and identifying colonies. I would also advise learning to appreciate them from afar. Wild collecting of anything can easily become unsustainable. Reading about the practice on here makes me very uncomfortable every time.


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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#9 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted March 22 2019 - 6:28 AM

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Like I said, I never collect mature colonies. Only founding queens and colonies. Also, I watch colonies a lot more than I collect them. I usually give them sugar water and meal worms too. Especially if there are fire ants in the area, suppressing the lets say, Pheidole or Formica.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, March 22 2019 - 6:36 AM.

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#10 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted March 23 2019 - 4:49 PM

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3-23-19

They have a bunch of eggs now.

#11 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted April 14 2019 - 7:02 AM

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I traded this colony.




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