3 replies to this topic

[fANTastic]

I am going on vaca to these states. I am wondering what kind of ants I could dig up here. Especially ones in the Florence sand dunes area. Please tell me. I am wanting sum exotic ants XD. Anyways I live in BC, CA.

[Cameron C. Thomas]

Honestly, our fauna aren't all that different from what you'd find in British Columbia, especially if you're coming down from Burnaby and staying west of the Cascades. We're heavy on Formica and Camponotus, and this time of year, you won't see a ton of activity in the daytime, especially as hot and dry as it's been lately.

 

You're not really going to find anything that one would consider exotic. If you get a chance to go east of the Cascades, you'll see some ants you're not used to, and much of the sagebrush steppe is dominated by Pogonomyrmex. You may even run into some Myrmecocystus in some places, but at this point, many of the nectar plants are senescing for the year.

 

If you go hiking in the coastal range, you may find our Stigmatomma species, S. oregonense, if you look hard enough. I think they're pretty cool and about as 'exotic' as it gets around here, but you can also find them around Burnaby. 

 

You're pretty much going to be in the same community, give and take a couple species. If you want a challenge, we have a ton of red and black Formica that all look really similar. You could catch a few workers everywhere you go and see how many of the species you get.

[Batspiderfish]

Bear in mind that you won't be able to keep any of these ants. Taking them out of the US or moving ants between states without authorization will violate the Plant Protection Act and break the rules of this forum.

Edited by Batspiderfish, August 14 2017 - 5:45 AM.

[fANTastic]

Bear in mind that you won't be able to keep any of these ants. Taking them out of the US or moving ants between states without authorization will violate the Plant Protection Act and break the rules of this forum.

RIP