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Hello from San Jose, California!

Started By Nasian , Nov 21 2019 6:17 PM

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16 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Nasian - Posted November 21 2019 - 6:17 PM

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I was really into ant keeping as a kid and eventually as I got older I found out more about ant keeping. So here I am.
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#2 Offline Manitobant - Posted November 21 2019 - 6:49 PM

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Welcome! California has tons of antkeepers that can hook you up with your first ant colony.
My journals:

Polyergus Mexicanus: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry175528
Lasius minutus: https://www.formicul...cs/#entry174811
Lasius latipes: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry206449
General acanthomyops journal: https://www.formicul...yops-with-eggs/

#3 Offline AntsDakota - Posted November 22 2019 - 5:25 PM

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And lots of amazing ants, too.


"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. (including ants) And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

#4 Offline zantezaint - Posted November 27 2019 - 3:59 PM

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Bay Area~~~~ I used to live there. Now I am in Socal. Welcome to ant keeping and the forum.


https://www.formicul...ale-california/

 

4 x Solenopsis xyloni (Fire ant) colonies.

2 x Veromessor andrei (Seed-harvester ant) colonies.

19 x Pogonomyrmex subnitidus (Seed-harvester ant) colonies + 3 x Pogonomyrmex (ID uncertain) colonies

16 x Linepithema humile (Argentine ant) colonies.

1 x Unknown Formicidae colony.

1 x Tapinoma sessile (Odorous house ant) colony.

1 x Camponotus fragilis (Carpenter/wood ant) colony + 1 x Camponotus sansabeanus (Carpenter/wood ant) colony.

1 x Solenopsis molesta (Thief ant) colony.

#5 Offline NickAnter - Posted November 27 2019 - 7:05 PM

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Welcome to the forum! I hope that you can push through the Argentines and find some of the really amazing species that California has to offer.


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#6 Offline ponerinecat - Posted November 29 2019 - 5:15 PM

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Used to live where you were. never took notice of the ants there, tell us what you find.


#7 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted December 4 2019 - 5:21 PM

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There's hope in/near San Jose ... I saw some unknown species of black ants in Campbell recently, had a queen alate land on my windshield somewhere on Saratoga Ave ... but around where I am, all Argentine ants.  :D


Formiculture Journals::

Veromessor pergandei, andrei; Novomessor cockerelli

Camponotus fragilis; also separate journal: Camponotus sansabeanus, vicinus, quercicola

Liometopum occidentale;  Prenolepis imparis; Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Pogonomyrmex subnitidus and previously californicus

Tetramorium sp.

Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis

 

Isopods: A. gestroi, granulatum, kluugi, maculatum, vulgare; C. murina; P. hoffmannseggi, P. haasi, P. ornatus; V. parvus

Spoods: Phidippus sp.

#8 Offline ponerinecat - Posted December 4 2019 - 5:33 PM

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There's hope in/near San Jose ... I saw some unknown species of black ants in Campbell recently, had a queen alate land on my windshield somewhere on Saratoga Ave ... but around where I am, all Argentine ants.  :D

never all argentine ants. take a soil sample and set up traps. blacklights too. sure to find something cool.


#9 Offline Nightshade06 - Posted December 5 2019 - 7:54 AM

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I was really into ant keeping as a kid and eventually as I got older I found out more about ant keeping. So here I am.

 

Welcome!!! I am super new here myself. To ants and to the website haha. So doubt I will be able to help much to anything.


#10 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted December 9 2019 - 1:59 PM

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There's hope in/near San Jose ... I saw some unknown species of black ants in Campbell recently, had a queen alate land on my windshield somewhere on Saratoga Ave ... but around where I am, all Argentine ants.  :D

never all argentine ants. take a soil sample and set up traps. blacklights too. sure to find something cool.

 

 

I guess I meant in the local neighborhood. We all seem to have just Argentines around, and with their humungous massive parades that last for weeks, months at a time, up and down the driveways and sidewalks and alongside houses and into the walls, I'm really suspecting other species in the immediate area stand zero chance. Sort of why I'm wishing for some winter ants and have vague dreams of establishing winter ant territory (but unlikely to work given the amount of yard watering going on in the summer).

 

I'm originally from the Midwest and East Coast and I miss the ease of finding all sorts of different ants and seeing alates or dealates wandering around loose. (I was catching alates 40 years ago, but pre-internet era I sucked at keeping the colonies alive beyond the first few nanitics.)


Formiculture Journals::

Veromessor pergandei, andrei; Novomessor cockerelli

Camponotus fragilis; also separate journal: Camponotus sansabeanus, vicinus, quercicola

Liometopum occidentale;  Prenolepis imparis; Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Pogonomyrmex subnitidus and previously californicus

Tetramorium sp.

Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis

 

Isopods: A. gestroi, granulatum, kluugi, maculatum, vulgare; C. murina; P. hoffmannseggi, P. haasi, P. ornatus; V. parvus

Spoods: Phidippus sp.

#11 Offline ponerinecat - Posted December 9 2019 - 4:27 PM

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There's hope in/near San Jose ... I saw some unknown species of black ants in Campbell recently, had a queen alate land on my windshield somewhere on Saratoga Ave ... but around where I am, all Argentine ants.  :D

never all argentine ants. take a soil sample and set up traps. blacklights too. sure to find something cool.

 

 

I guess I meant in the local neighborhood. We all seem to have just Argentines around, and with their humungous massive parades that last for weeks, months at a time, up and down the driveways and sidewalks and alongside houses and into the walls, I'm really suspecting other species in the immediate area stand zero chance. Sort of why I'm wishing for some winter ants and have vague dreams of establishing winter ant territory (but unlikely to work given the amount of yard watering going on in the summer).

 

I'm originally from the Midwest and East Coast and I miss the ease of finding all sorts of different ants and seeing alates or dealates wandering around loose. (I was catching alates 40 years ago, but pre-internet era I sucked at keeping the colonies alive beyond the first few nanitics.)

 

Ill be able to get you winter ants. very common here.


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#12 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted December 9 2019 - 8:07 PM

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I guess I meant in the local neighborhood. We all seem to have just Argentines around, and with their humungous massive parades that last for weeks, months at a time, up and down the driveways and sidewalks and alongside houses and into the walls, I'm really suspecting other species in the immediate area stand zero chance. Sort of why I'm wishing for some winter ants and have vague dreams of establishing winter ant territory (but unlikely to work given the amount of yard watering going on in the summer).

 

I'm originally from the Midwest and East Coast and I miss the ease of finding all sorts of different ants and seeing alates or dealates wandering around loose. (I was catching alates 40 years ago, but pre-internet era I sucked at keeping the colonies alive beyond the first few nanitics.)

 

Ill be able to get you winter ants. very common here.

 

 

Nice!! I don't know anything about their care but they sound interesting. I read they have a sizeable stronghold up near Stanford where they are keeping the Argentine ants at bay.


Formiculture Journals::

Veromessor pergandei, andrei; Novomessor cockerelli

Camponotus fragilis; also separate journal: Camponotus sansabeanus, vicinus, quercicola

Liometopum occidentale;  Prenolepis imparis; Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Pogonomyrmex subnitidus and previously californicus

Tetramorium sp.

Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis

 

Isopods: A. gestroi, granulatum, kluugi, maculatum, vulgare; C. murina; P. hoffmannseggi, P. haasi, P. ornatus; V. parvus

Spoods: Phidippus sp.

#13 Offline ponerinecat - Posted December 9 2019 - 8:11 PM

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I guess I meant in the local neighborhood. We all seem to have just Argentines around, and with their humungous massive parades that last for weeks, months at a time, up and down the driveways and sidewalks and alongside houses and into the walls, I'm really suspecting other species in the immediate area stand zero chance. Sort of why I'm wishing for some winter ants and have vague dreams of establishing winter ant territory (but unlikely to work given the amount of yard watering going on in the summer).

 

I'm originally from the Midwest and East Coast and I miss the ease of finding all sorts of different ants and seeing alates or dealates wandering around loose. (I was catching alates 40 years ago, but pre-internet era I sucked at keeping the colonies alive beyond the first few nanitics.)

 

Ill be able to get you winter ants. very common here.

 

 

Nice!! I don't know anything about their care but they sound interesting. I read they have a sizeable stronghold up near Stanford where they are keeping the Argentine ants at bay.

 

I've never had any success with them, but they are a very easy ant species. generalist ants who like protein and have repletes.


#14 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted December 9 2019 - 10:28 PM

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Okay not to hijack this thread but curious what sort of difficulty you’ve had with them if they are generally easy? And yeah I’m psyched about the replete aspect.

Formiculture Journals::

Veromessor pergandei, andrei; Novomessor cockerelli

Camponotus fragilis; also separate journal: Camponotus sansabeanus, vicinus, quercicola

Liometopum occidentale;  Prenolepis imparis; Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Pogonomyrmex subnitidus and previously californicus

Tetramorium sp.

Termites: Zootermopsis angusticollis

 

Isopods: A. gestroi, granulatum, kluugi, maculatum, vulgare; C. murina; P. hoffmannseggi, P. haasi, P. ornatus; V. parvus

Spoods: Phidippus sp.

#15 Offline ponerinecat - Posted December 10 2019 - 6:51 PM

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Okay not to hijack this thread but curious what sort of difficulty you’ve had with them if they are generally easy? And yeah I’m psyched about the replete aspect.

They're easy to keep, but I never manage to get queens past eggs. Of course I've only seen queens for one year so who knows.


#16 Offline AlexLebedev - Posted July 21 2021 - 5:28 PM

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Welcome to the forum! I hope that you can push through the Argentines and find some of the really amazing species that California has to offer.

i live in san jose and i walk 4 feet see argentines then another 4 feet and see liometopum and formica 


What i am keeping Brachymyrmex patagonicus 1 worker x5 tetramorium immigrans 10 workers x2 lasius crypticus 5 workers Pheidole californica 6 queens150~ workers 10-30 majors, Formica argentea 10~ W

 

 

What I've kept crematogaster sp pheidole californica camponotus vicinus high elev, dumetorum,laevigatus, prenolepis imparis, pogonomyrmex californicus and subnitidus and californicus, veromessor andrei, camponotus sayi, hypoponera opacior ,Liometopum occidentale solnopsis molesta group, solenopsis xyloni.

#17 Offline eea - Posted July 21 2021 - 5:31 PM

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Welcome to the forum! I hope that you can push through the Argentines and find some of the really amazing species that California has to offer.

i live in san jose and i walk 4 feet see argentines then another 4 feet and see liometopum and formica 

 

this is from 2019 lol


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-camponotus sansabeanus: 20 wokrers

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