1665 replies to this topic

[Subverted]

I am wondering if you may have stumbled onto either a Polygerus raiding party or just Formica fleeing from them.

 

You are sure the workers were carrying around queens? Sounds like it if they have laid eggs.

[Antony]

So there were like 20 founding chamber but I couldn't dig them out since I didn't have my shovel or spade . But then I started looking closely at the workers thinking they had flies and I tried to make one it drop it. Then the "fly" turned out to be a queen. So I kept looking and caught more. Sad thing is I caught one worker in a test tube. When I got home and combined them they seemed to be apart of the same colony. I wish I caught more workers so I could have all queens accompanied but at least they have eggs.

[Batspiderfish]

Species: Prenolepis imparis

Location: Portland, Maine

Date: 4-29-2017

Time: 1:00 PM

Temperature: 76 F

Humidity: 32%

Wind: 15mph, variable

Rain: 2 days ago

[VoidElecent]

Species: Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Location: Ambler, PA.

Date: 4-29-2017

Time: 1:00 PM

Temperature: 81 F

Humidity: 70%

Wind: Very Little

Rain: Heavy thunderstorms night before.

[AnthonyP163]

 

So... This is an odd one.

Species: Formica Fusca
Location: Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Date: 4-17-17
Time: 2:30 - 3:30
Temperature: 55 F
Humidity: 38%
Wind: 16 MPH
Rain: 12 hours prior.

Are you sure? I actually haven't found any queens yet, but doesn't formica species fly more towards the beginning of summer around here?

 

Yes, I'm sure. I thought the same thing. Spring temperatures must be faking them out, since just the day before it was 68. She now has larvae.

[klawfran3]

My Formica Podzolica dealate was found April 16 2017 at Jackrabbit canyon just outside Laramie, Wyoming under a rock. Not sure if she overwintered or had an early flight, but it was after a good bit of warm, sunny weather and light showers.

[AnthonyP163]

My Formica Podzolica dealate was found April 16 2017 at Jackrabbit canyon just outside Laramie, Wyoming under a rock. Not sure if she overwintered or had an early flight, but it was after a good bit of warm, sunny weather and light showers.

Wow! I caught my Formica Fusca around that time.

 

Global warming, huh.

[Aaron567]

Species: Pheidole bicarinata

Location: Pensacola, Florida

Date: 5-1-2017

Time: 6:00 PM

Temperature: 75 F

Humidity: 38%

Wind: 4mph 

Rain: Day Before

[klawfran3]

 

My Formica Podzolica dealate was found April 16 2017 at Jackrabbit canyon just outside Laramie, Wyoming under a rock. Not sure if she overwintered or had an early flight, but it was after a good bit of warm, sunny weather and light showers.

Wow! I caught my Formica Fusca around that time.

 

Global warming, huh.

 

Nah that's a myth invented by the Chinese to... ruin our economy?

 

sucks how it's really starting to change stuff, we had a bunch of warm days and nuptial flights and then a cold snap for the past few weeks that's probably killed most native alates. I'm not expecting to find much this year.

[ctantkeeper]

 

 

My Formica Podzolica dealate was found April 16 2017 at Jackrabbit canyon just outside Laramie, Wyoming under a rock. Not sure if she overwintered or had an early flight, but it was after a good bit of warm, sunny weather and light showers.

Wow! I caught my Formica Fusca around that time.

 

Global warming, huh.

 

Nah that's a myth invented by the Chinese to... ruin our economy?

 

sucks how it's really starting to change stuff, we had a bunch of warm days and nuptial flights and then a cold snap for the past few weeks that's probably killed most native alates. I'm not expecting to find much this year.

 

I once saw Tetramorium sp.e queen de-alates in april!!!! It is definitely going to effect us more and more as time passes.

[klawfran3]

 

 

 

My Formica Podzolica dealate was found April 16 2017 at Jackrabbit canyon just outside Laramie, Wyoming under a rock. Not sure if she overwintered or had an early flight, but it was after a good bit of warm, sunny weather and light showers.

Wow! I caught my Formica Fusca around that time.

 

Global warming, huh.

 

Nah that's a myth invented by the Chinese to... ruin our economy?

 

sucks how it's really starting to change stuff, we had a bunch of warm days and nuptial flights and then a cold snap for the past few weeks that's probably killed most native alates. I'm not expecting to find much this year.

 

I once saw Tetramorium sp.e queen de-alates in april!!!! It is definitely going to effect us more and more as time passes.

 

definitely. The effects are going to be getting more and more dramatic, with more sporadic rainfall and longer drought periods in SoCal, meaning it will be harder and harder for native species to survive. Two years ago was supposed to be the biggest El Nino since 1984, and yet nothing happened at all except for a light drizzle. I'm glad there was so much rainfall last year, but it's really not going to help much in the long run if we start getting more and more polarized weather there.

Here in Wyo it was unusually warm for about a month and a half in february and march, something that hasnt happened in a long time, it was the warmest winter in about 100 years I believe. All of the sudden in April we had a massive frost that dropped below 20F for a while, which I guarantee killed quite a lot of insects here since they left hibernation and might not have been able to get back into it fast enough.

 

Luckily I managed to catch a couple queens and 14 specimens of a wasp that were leaving  hibernation over winter before the cold snap came in though. It was lucky because according to Dr. Scott Shaw here it's the first time they've been recorded in the Continental US, so I'll hopefully coauthor a paper with him about them soon if I can find their lepidopteran host. I say it's also unlucky because the cold snap I bet probably killed a lot of the wasps meaning I probably won't find more for a long time.

Edited by klawfran3, May 2 2017 - 7:52 PM.

[Antony]

Saw around 20 argentine ant alates in back yard.

[SoySauce]

Species: C. modoc, black C. vicinus, red/black C. vicinus, C. laevigatus, velvety
Location: Yosemite Valley, CA
Date: 5-2-2017
Time: 8:30:00 PM
Temperature: 75 F
Humidity: 38%
Wind: no wind
Rain: no recent rain, but it is very moist up there.

I found them all between 4000-6000' elevation. The vicinus was mostly on the live pine trees. Modocs were all on old dead felled pine logs that still had bark on them.

Edited by SoySauce, May 3 2017 - 10:57 AM.

[SoySauce]

They're literally flying right now. I'm sitting in a parking lot and I see them flying everywhere

[SoySauce]

They're swarming my truck!



It looks like they're the black vicinus flying right now.

[PTAntFan]

Bro!  That's such good fortune.  Please bring some black Modoc back.  What are you doing all the way up there?

[SoySauce]

Isn't it obvious??! I'm catching queens! And I'm bringing a grip load back. I had to stop last night cuz I ran out of cotton balls! I'm trying to fight my natural instinct of catching more this morning. I've got way too many but they're so prolific up here right now. Argh!

[SoySauce]

Argh! I can't embed videos. Well click on the picture. It's of a modoc colony preparing for a nuptial flight.

Edited by SoySauce, May 3 2017 - 9:42 AM.

[PTAntFan]

INSANE!  Did you make the trip just for this or had a little vacation planned?

[soulsynapse]

Where was this?