41 replies to this topic

[PTAntFan]

Cool that she hasn't dropped her wings.  Is that common for Pheidole?

[dspdrew]

It's common for most any ants that land in water or on a black light.

[dspdrew]

Update 6-30-2015
 
I found what I think is another one of these queens 6-27-2015 in Menifee, California. My old pictures are really terrible, but I think this queen looks very much like the first one. If anyone disagrees, let me know. This was also found not too far from the first one, and in a fairly similar habitat.
 

 

 

 

[LC3]

Cool. Wonder if you can introduce queens overtime to keep the colony longer than it's intended life span.

[dspdrew]

Update 7-1-2015

 

The new colony from Trabuco canyon is now up to 13 workers. Their test tube was a bit moldy so I put them in a new one today.

 

I just found four more of these last night on my black light at the same place as the first one.

[Tpro4]

how do you guys find so many ant queens so fast, i'm still struggling, arrrggh *jealousy intensifies* Good Luck with em Drew

[dspdrew]

Get a black light and they'll find you.

[Ants4fun]

Get a black light and they'll find you.

What exactly is your routine for blacklighting? Do you use the bucket trap? O do you sit at the back of a truck with a white sheet with a black light? Wha do you do?

[dspdrew]

I just sit in the bed of my truck, or wander around, waiting for them to land on the sheet. Then I just pick what I want off of it. Most of the larger-sized queens hardly ever land on the sheet, and instead on the ground all around my truck.

[Lamarr]

What did you make the test tube plug with?

[dspdrew]

It was a rubber test tube stopper with masking tape around it.

[Foogoo]

Are you going to try introducing one of the new queens to the existing queen-less colony? It would be interesting to see if that would work, keep them together but segregated for a few days to get acquainted and see if they'll become family.

[dspdrew]

Oh that colony died off a long time ago.

[dspdrew]

Update 8-4-2015

 

The queen from Menifee died. It looks like she may have gotten a few workers first too, but everything in the tube was dead.

[dspdrew]

Update 8-5-2015

 

The first Trabuco Canyon queen lost all of her workers, and has no brood now. The others still have no workers or brood.

[Alza]

Are the queens still alive ?

[dspdrew]

I think there's one queen left. I'll have to check when I get home.

[dspdrew]

Update 10-20-2015

 

The last remaining queen of this species died.

[dspdrew]

Update 6-17-2017

 

Well, this journal is back on. I just found two of these queens in Trabuco Canyon two days ago while black lighting. They both have laid a few eggs and both still have their wings.  I've seen them trying to remove them, but they just fail every time.

[dspdrew]

Update 7-9-2017

 

Both queens turned out to be fertile, because they both got their first workers last week. they now both have about four workers, and a small pile of brood. Both queens still have their wings too.