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Valentine's Day Pogo Alate discovered in Fresno, CA


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#1 Offline antsinmypants - Posted February 14 2015 - 6:57 PM

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I found this alate about 2:30 pm today while anting. I figured with the warm weather and the last rainfall a week ago, now would be a good time to look (think global warming). She seemed a bit wobbly, and I don't know if she was newly mated yesterday or today, if that. I found no other alates nor did I discover any newly dug nests, and I covered a lot of territory to find her. Maybe I'll go looking again tomorrow towards the noon hour. Wish me luck if I do. 

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#2 Offline Gregory2455 - Posted February 14 2015 - 7:01 PM

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I think she is an infertile dud cast out by a colony.



#3 Offline Alza - Posted February 14 2015 - 9:18 PM

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Doubt its fertile. Some queens just run off and don't even turn back. 



#4 Offline Chromerust - Posted February 14 2015 - 9:38 PM

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I wouldn't be so quick in assuming this queen didn't come from a small isolated mating flight. She might not be mated do to a insufficient amount of males around. We have already seen many surprises this year, and I have personally seen flights during the most unexpected times.



#5 Offline Alza - Posted February 14 2015 - 9:47 PM

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True, sometimes termite species fly out of season, in small flights, but when they are supposed to they release a larger amount.



#6 Offline antsinmypants - Posted February 15 2015 - 11:41 AM

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I think I need one of those camcorder, hovering drones with a 500 foot remote controller to find new nests, etc. Just too much work to go biking/walking though it's a great way to lower my blood sugar after a meal.

#7 Offline antsinmypants - Posted February 16 2015 - 6:28 AM

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I went back to the general area yesterday where I had found the solo alate, but I found no alates or new nests. There was, however, a colony of red Harvester ants with two entrances 15 feet apart. This was within 100 feet or so of where I had found a whole bunch of queen nests last early March. So here's some questions to my more seasoned ant hobbyists: what is the likelihood that I will find more nests in the coming few weeks in the same area where I found them before? Do mature, established colonies generally establish new colonies within, lets say, a hundred feet or so, of their own colonies?



#8 Offline dspdrew - Posted February 16 2015 - 6:53 AM

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Sometimes not too long before a mating flight, I have seen random Pogonomyrmex alates come out and wonder away from the nest.



#9 Offline wshanke - Posted February 16 2015 - 8:44 AM

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wow This is Pogonomyrmex Now is their flight time? :o

f it is convenient and I can swap queen? :lol:



#10 Offline William. T - Posted February 16 2015 - 10:53 AM

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 Shipping queens in and out of the states is illegal.


Species I keep:

 

1 Lasius cf. Neoniger 30 workers

1 Camponotus sp. 15 workers

20 Tetramorium SpE 30 workers

1 T. Sessile 200 workers

 


#11 Offline wshanke - Posted February 16 2015 - 10:20 PM

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 Shipping queens in and out of the states is illegal.

:P






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