2450 replies to this topic

[dspdrew]

Yeah definitely. I had no idea what they were.

[Gregory2455]

You thought they were Neivamyrmex males at first! rofl

[dspdrew]

Haha yeah. They're shaped just like them, and they have a relatively small head. AND Neivamyrmex males drop their wings. I don't know the specifics of this and how often, but they do it. The digging of founding chambers is what was really confusing us.

[dspdrew]

We have a major heatwave coming up. Already I'm planning to go to Trabuco Canyon Thursday and Angelus Oaks Friday to hopefully find some Camponotus laevigatus, which I really want. I only have one colony, and it's not doing to great.

[Gregory2455]

I am in on this one on Friday.

[Foogoo]

We have a major heatwave coming up. Already I'm planning to go to Trabuco Canyon Thursday and Angelus Oaks Friday to hopefully find some Camponotus laevigatus, which I really want. I only have one colony, and it's not doing to great.

 

Are you trying to get them before the heatwave or does the heat make them fly? Unfortunately I work 6-6 and I've been burning too many sick days .

[dspdrew]

The heat triggers the mating flights.

[dspdrew]

Well, Trabuco Canyon didn't have a whole lot going on. I did get lucky though and I found one Liometopum occidentale (Velvety Tree Ant) queen on my black light. I saw one male on the light too last night. I'm pretty sure it too was a Liometopum occidentale. The queen had her wings torn off by morning, so it's looking good.

 

Hopefully Angelus Oaks will be better than Trabuco Canyon was. There's usually WAY more going on up in the pine forest anyways.

[Gregory2455]

I don't know... A few Camponotus and at least one Liometopum would make it worth it.

[dspdrew]

It was a horrible night for collecting queens. Too cold in the higher elevation, and too windy in the lower elevation. Something went wrong with wunderground.com and I now realized what it was. Hopefully this won't happen again.

[Foogoo]

It was a horrible night for collecting queens. Too cold in the higher elevation, and too windy in the lower elevation. Something went wrong with wunderground.com and I now realized what it was. Hopefully this won't happen again.

 

That's a bummer, although I didn't know Angelus Oaks existed until you mentioned it. I was thinking when the weather behaves, that could make for a good weekend vacation/ant collecting trip.

[dspdrew]

Yeah, it's just a teeny tiny little town. The spot we usually go to is another 10 minutes up the highway. We did however find quite a few all-black Camponotus vicinus queens while walking around that neighborhood once though.

[AntsTexas]

It was a horrible night for collecting queens. Too cold in the higher elevation, and too windy in the lower elevation. Something went wrong with wunderground.com and I now realized what it was. Hopefully this won't happen again.

 

that's why i olny go to the official forecast site the national weather service, here's yours just find where u live on the map and click:  

  http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sgx/

[kellakk]

Whoops, I could probably have told you that conditions would be like that based on the night before.

[dspdrew]

 

It was a horrible night for collecting queens. Too cold in the higher elevation, and too windy in the lower elevation. Something went wrong with wunderground.com and I now realized what it was. Hopefully this won't happen again.

 

thats why i olny go to the official forecast site the national weather service, here's yours just find where u live on the map and click:  

  http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sgx/

 

 

That's way too broad though. Wunderground.com normally chooses the closest weather station when showing the current conditions, but for some reason, sometimes it gives you the wrong weather station. This is the reason the current conditions will jump all over the place sometimes. I now realize you have to check the weather station and make sure it's the right one.

[AntsTexas]

kool, whatever works! 

[Gregory2455]

 

 

It was a horrible night for collecting queens. Too cold in the higher elevation, and too windy in the lower elevation. Something went wrong with wunderground.com and I now realized what it was. Hopefully this won't happen again.

 

that's why i olny go to the official forecast site the national weather service, here's yours just find where u live on the map and click:  

  http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/sgx/

 

 

That's way too broad though. Wunderground.com normally chooses the closest weather station when showing the current conditions, but for some reason, sometimes it gives you the wrong weather station. This is the reason the current conditions will jump all over the place sometimes. I now realize you have to check the weather station and make sure it's the right one.

 

Just pick a specific weather station?

[dspdrew]

Yeah. That's what you have to do if it's not on the right one.

[Foogoo]

Drew (and anyone else), what's your experience with desert camping around here? I'm already planning an Angelus Oaks getaway for a good combination of anting and fun and I'm thinking a desert camping excursion for late summer would be another good getaway and maybe find some summer flyers.

 

Aside from Joshua Tree, has anyone camped the BLM areas around Socal?

[dspdrew]

The area we go to most is a designated camping spot just outside the gate of Joshua Tree National Park on BLM land. The Pinyon Pines area is a good anting area, and I think there are some camp grounds around there. Also, Box Canyon near Mecca, CA is an awesome camping spot, but probably not a place you want to be during the monsoon thunderstorms. I got stuck in a flash flood there. The road washes away every summer.