2450 replies to this topic

[FSTP]

that's really cool drew! I'm pretty sure its known Acromyrmex partake in pleometrosis.

[PTAntFan]

Wow! Just wow. What a rare experience. The rewards of time and effort put in. Great videos. Thanks for posting.

[dspdrew]

Anybody know if V. pergandei flew in the desert today? I think they might have. Trying to decide if i want to find out, or wait 'till tomorrow when it's even warmer...

[Thebrute99]

What area of the dessert

[Thebrute99]

In the mojave dessert by me i didn’t find anything. I did find some ant mounds where it looks like they are opening their entrance more

[dspdrew]

In the mojave dessert by me i didn’t find anything. I did find some ant mounds where it looks like they are opening their entrance more

 

You are in the high desert. Temps haven't even reached 65 degrees there. Most likely nothing will fly. In the low desert, it should be over 80 degrees tomorrow. If there is still enough moisture in the ground, I think something might fly.

[StopSpazzing]

 

That storm was crazy. I don't remember seeing that much thunder and lightning lasting for that long in coastal Southern California as long as I've lived here, and I've been here almost my whole life. It looks like it just blanketed the desert with rain, mostly the area along the 10 freeway, which is perfect. Should be plenty of places where Acromyrmex versicolor will fly, and maybe more honeypot ants as well. It's still sprinkling and mostly cloudy now at 6:00am, so I highly doubt any of them will fly this morning. It also looks like there might be another little wave of storms going through again later today, so I think tonight and tomorrow morning will be most likely when they fly.

 

I really was wanting to look for Cyphomyrmex, as I have never found them before, and since the timing was perfect this time, I don't have to work the next morning when everything flies. I can't remember where I got this information, but I think they flew the same time Acromyrmex flew once in the past, so I'm just going off of that. I really don't know much about them, other than I always see them in the same places I find Acromyrmex.

 

Here are some pictures and videos from this trip that I forgot to post.

 

This road runs along the aqueduct that borders the southern boundary of Joshua Tree National Park. It is normally smooth enough to drive 50 MPH along it, but not after this storm came through; the road was impassable.

 

 

 

Here we saw TONS of new Acromyrmex queens all digging in the same hole. Initially we thought these were just alates hanging around the entrance of a mature nest, but after momentarily scaring them all off, we could see it was just a shallow hole. It looks like they were all trying to dig the same nest. I know some species of queens will team up when digging founding chambers, but this was a bit more than just a team.

 

 

 

These Myrmecocystus looked like they might have been preparing for a mating flight, but we never saw them fly.

 

 

I was wondering when you were going to post these. I was still tripping out what the honeypots where doing.Never seen that before, especially the major making the minors "get back in line" was so weird. Never seen anything like it.

[dspdrew]

Just got home from Palm Desert. Just as I predicted, Veromessor pergandei flew. Some were still digging, and some hadn't even started to dig yet. It was very simple collecting; I didn't even need my shovel. 

[B_rad0806]

Just got home from Palm Desert. Just as I predicted, Veromessor pergandei flew. Some were still digging, and some hadn't even started to dig yet. It was very simple collecting; I didn't even need my shovel.

Darn that’s like 2 1/2 hours from me

[nurbs]

 

Just got home from Palm Desert. Just as I predicted, Veromessor pergandei flew. Some were still digging, and some hadn't even started to dig yet. It was very simple collecting; I didn't even need my shovel.

Darn that’s like 2 1/2 hours from me

 

 

I also drove 2 1/2 hours to Palm Desert and ran into Drew and Kellak last night. 

 

You make it sound like all this is in our backyard    

[B_rad0806]

 

 

Just got home from Palm Desert. Just as I predicted, Veromessor pergandei flew. Some were still digging, and some hadn't even started to dig yet. It was very simple collecting; I didn't even need my shovel.

Darn that’s like 2 1/2 hours from me

 

 

I also drove 2 1/2 hours to Palm Desert and ran into Drew and Kellak last night. 

 

You make it sound like all this is in our backyard    

 

Wish I could have gone. I should leave some tubes for you guys to catch me one.

[Xanuri]

 

 

 

Just got home from Palm Desert. Just as I predicted, Veromessor pergandei flew. Some were still digging, and some hadn't even started to dig yet. It was very simple collecting; I didn't even need my shovel.

Darn that’s like 2 1/2 hours from me

 

 

I also drove 2 1/2 hours to Palm Desert and ran into Drew and Kellak last night. 

 

You make it sound like all this is in our backyard    

 

Wish I could have gone. I should leave some tubes for you guys to catch me one.

 

 

did you go near where you know they have nests and wander around that area or did you just find a random spot and start looking for them?

[dspdrew]

 

 

 

 

Just got home from Palm Desert. Just as I predicted, Veromessor pergandei flew. Some were still digging, and some hadn't even started to dig yet. It was very simple collecting; I didn't even need my shovel.

Darn that’s like 2 1/2 hours from me

 

 

I also drove 2 1/2 hours to Palm Desert and ran into Drew and Kellak last night. 

 

You make it sound like all this is in our backyard    

 

Wish I could have gone. I should leave some tubes for you guys to catch me one.

 

 

did you go near where you know they have nests and wander around that area or did you just find a random spot and start looking for them?

 

 

We went to a known spot where we could walk around collecting. There are not very many places like that in Palm Desert. It's almost all resorts on the perimeter of the city. This species is almost everywhere in the desert, but we went to where the weather was just right for a mating flight.

[PTAntFan]

Any prospects for tomorrow?

Hey folks i’ve been on the road and haven’t been able to follow weather reports. Looks like some parts of the desert may be warm this weekend.

[AntsCalifornia]

Looks like around here (Fontana) it'll start warming up starting Tuesday going to 70 by Friday and 80 on Monday. How warm does it have to be for things to start flying in the mountains, and how warm for the desert?

[StopSpazzing]

WHat temps are we looking for in Altadena? https://www.accuweat...st/332023?day=6want those cokacola

[anttics]

This sunday. Vasquez rock,and the valleys will be 65 to 70 degrees. Camponotus will fly this Sunday or Monday.

I think they flew at my micro climat spot. Is 11 and its 63 degrees. Around 9pm was close to 66. Ill check tomorrow. I hope to catch the massive light orange salsabeans. That live there. I saw the largest major ant. I have ever seen at that spot. Larger than camp vicinus queens. Wish me luck yall. These colonies do not need to hibernate so. I'm exited. Last year i missed them. Damn I'm sure they flew today. I'm debating if going right now 11:20pm.

Edited by anttics, March 14 2019 - 10:24 PM.

[Enderz]

This sunday. Vasquez rock,and the valleys will be 65 to 70 degrees. Camponotus will fly this Sunday or Monday.

I think they flew at my micro climat spot. Is 11 and its 63 degrees. Around 9pm was close to 66. Ill check tomorrow. I hope to catch the massive light orange salsabeans. That live there. I saw the largest major ant. I have ever seen at that spot. Larger than camp vicinus queens. Wish me luck yall. These colonies do not need to hibernate so. I'm exited. Last year i missed them. Damn I'm sure they flew today. I'm debating if going right now 11:20pm.

What color were these ants? May be that weird one drew knows of. Could also just be C. quercicola or something similar.

[YsTheAnt]

Quercicolas aren't orange though

[anttics]

Here is a pic of a minor and a small major from the same nest as the super major who got away.

http://www.formicult...p/?fromsearch=1