145 replies to this topic

[Kaelwizard]

Excuse me but I beilieve that is C. Pennsylvanicus not C. herculeanus. The latter is European and most thought to have been found in the US are most likely misidentified.

Edited by Kaelwizard, March 16 2020 - 1:53 PM.

[madbiologist]

Excuse me but I beilieve that is C. Pennsylvanicus not C. Herculeanus

It's definitely C. herculeanus, here's some pics of them when I caught them.

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[Kaelwizard]

Were the ones pictured last herculeanus?

[madbiologist]

All of them were.

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[Kaelwizard]

Also, I only heard the latter bit recently, but ant maps labels them as native in the US, and I was just about to delete that part.

[madbiologist]

Yes, they are native here.

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[Kaelwizard]

I see. I may have to second guess what I thought were pennsylvanicus here then...

[TennesseeAnts]

3/14/20

I'll leave the big reveal for last, but don't get too impatient, I've only got a couple of small updates.

I'll start with my Tapinoma sessile, because it seems like most of the colony has escaped. I'm not sure where they went, but they'll come back eventually, or they'll die off, there aren't any good food sources or nesting spots other than their tube.

My Camponotus novaeborascensis are my first Camponotus to reach pupae! They've focused on getting 10 or so larvae to pupate, while the rest are still small. They've still got about 10 larvae that will probably be growing quickly to pupate soon now that the rest have.

Now it's time for the big reveal. Normally I wouldn't try to capture medium to large colonies, but I do have an exception. If the colony is going to die, I may as well try to capture them to keep that from happening. So Wednesday I was looking for small Camponotus subbarbatus colonies, and I accidentally stepped on a large stick. The stick broke, and I saw a large amount of subbarbatus workers. I had just stumbled upon what looked to be a large (by my standards) colony of them. I would have just let them hide, but they were still hibernating, and thus, would be eaten by animals. So I sacrificed the rest of my evening for a good cause, and I've now got a 100-150 worker Camponotus subbarbatus colony, with 2 drones, and maybe a queen! They've also got 100 plus overwintered larvae! I'm not sure if I have a queen or not, because she still has her wings, but she is also very physogastric, the most physogastric I've ever seen subbarbatus. I'll have to wait for eggs to find out I guess. I dropped workers out of their stick into a tub, and instead of using all e tubes I provided, they've stuffed the whole colony into one. All the better for pictures I guess!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

You most likely stumbled across (literally haha) a satellite nest of a much larger colony, but you'll need to wait for new eggs and larvae to be sure. I find satellite colonies of these gals all the time too. Also, flights are coming up in the next week or so for these gals, so don't be afraid to capture more of these queens than you think you'll need, as they're polygynous. You can also sell any extras.

[madbiologist]

3/14/20

I'll leave the big reveal for last, but don't get too impatient, I've only got a couple of small updates.

I'll start with my Tapinoma sessile, because it seems like most of the colony has escaped. I'm not sure where they went, but they'll come back eventually, or they'll die off, there aren't any good food sources or nesting spots other than their tube.

My Camponotus novaeborascensis are my first Camponotus to reach pupae! They've focused on getting 10 or so larvae to pupate, while the rest are still small. They've still got about 10 larvae that will probably be growing quickly to pupate soon now that the rest have.

Now it's time for the big reveal. Normally I wouldn't try to capture medium to large colonies, but I do have an exception. If the colony is going to die, I may as well try to capture them to keep that from happening. So Wednesday I was looking for small Camponotus subbarbatus colonies, and I accidentally stepped on a large stick. The stick broke, and I saw a large amount of subbarbatus workers. I had just stumbled upon what looked to be a large (by my standards) colony of them. I would have just let them hide, but they were still hibernating, and thus, would be eaten by animals. So I sacrificed the rest of my evening for a good cause, and I've now got a 100-150 worker Camponotus subbarbatus colony, with 2 drones, and maybe a queen! They've also got 100 plus overwintered larvae! I'm not sure if I have a queen or not, because she still has her wings, but she is also very physogastric, the most physogastric I've ever seen subbarbatus. I'll have to wait for eggs to find out I guess. I dropped workers out of their stick into a tub, and instead of using all e tubes I provided, they've stuffed the whole colony into one. All the better for pictures I guess!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

You most likely stumbled across (literally haha) a satellite nest of a much larger colony, but you'll need to wait for new eggs and larvae to be sure. I find satellite colonies of these gals all the time too. Also, flights are coming up in the next week or so for these gals, so don't be afraid to capture more of these queens than you think you'll need, as they're polygynous. You can also sell any extras.

There won't be any flights up here yet, we haven't even had pimps fly. Just wondering, what time do subbarbatus fly? I'd like to catch a lot, they're one of my favorites. Also, would colonies accept newly mated queens, or do they have to found together?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

Edited by madbiologist, March 16 2020 - 2:26 PM.

[TennesseeAnts]

 

 

3/14/20

I'll leave the big reveal for last, but don't get too impatient, I've only got a couple of small updates.

I'll start with my Tapinoma sessile, because it seems like most of the colony has escaped. I'm not sure where they went, but they'll come back eventually, or they'll die off, there aren't any good food sources or nesting spots other than their tube.

My Camponotus novaeborascensis are my first Camponotus to reach pupae! They've focused on getting 10 or so larvae to pupate, while the rest are still small. They've still got about 10 larvae that will probably be growing quickly to pupate soon now that the rest have.

Now it's time for the big reveal. Normally I wouldn't try to capture medium to large colonies, but I do have an exception. If the colony is going to die, I may as well try to capture them to keep that from happening. So Wednesday I was looking for small Camponotus subbarbatus colonies, and I accidentally stepped on a large stick. The stick broke, and I saw a large amount of subbarbatus workers. I had just stumbled upon what looked to be a large (by my standards) colony of them. I would have just let them hide, but they were still hibernating, and thus, would be eaten by animals. So I sacrificed the rest of my evening for a good cause, and I've now got a 100-150 worker Camponotus subbarbatus colony, with 2 drones, and maybe a queen! They've also got 100 plus overwintered larvae! I'm not sure if I have a queen or not, because she still has her wings, but she is also very physogastric, the most physogastric I've ever seen subbarbatus. I'll have to wait for eggs to find out I guess. I dropped workers out of their stick into a tub, and instead of using all e tubes I provided, they've stuffed the whole colony into one. All the better for pictures I guess!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

You most likely stumbled across (literally haha) a satellite nest of a much larger colony, but you'll need to wait for new eggs and larvae to be sure. I find satellite colonies of these gals all the time too. Also, flights are coming up in the next week or so for these gals, so don't be afraid to capture more of these queens than you think you'll need, as they're polygynous. You can also sell any extras.

There won't be any flights up here yet, we haven't even had pimps fly. Just wondering, what time do subbarbatus fly? I'd like to catch a lot, they're one of my favorites. Also, would colonies accept newly mated queens, or do they have to found together?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

I have had some success with colonies merging and accepting new queens, but I wouldn't recommend you try unless you have a large amount of extra queens. I usually have them found together, and it works great. They tend to fly in the evening with temps around 75-88 degrees.

[madbiologist]

3/14/20

I'll leave the big reveal for last, but don't get too impatient, I've only got a couple of small updates.

I'll start with my Tapinoma sessile, because it seems like most of the colony has escaped. I'm not sure where they went, but they'll come back eventually, or they'll die off, there aren't any good food sources or nesting spots other than their tube.

My Camponotus novaeborascensis are my first Camponotus to reach pupae! They've focused on getting 10 or so larvae to pupate, while the rest are still small. They've still got about 10 larvae that will probably be growing quickly to pupate soon now that the rest have.

Now it's time for the big reveal. Normally I wouldn't try to capture medium to large colonies, but I do have an exception. If the colony is going to die, I may as well try to capture them to keep that from happening. So Wednesday I was looking for small Camponotus subbarbatus colonies, and I accidentally stepped on a large stick. The stick broke, and I saw a large amount of subbarbatus workers. I had just stumbled upon what looked to be a large (by my standards) colony of them. I would have just let them hide, but they were still hibernating, and thus, would be eaten by animals. So I sacrificed the rest of my evening for a good cause, and I've now got a 100-150 worker Camponotus subbarbatus colony, with 2 drones, and maybe a queen! They've also got 100 plus overwintered larvae! I'm not sure if I have a queen or not, because she still has her wings, but she is also very physogastric, the most physogastric I've ever seen subbarbatus. I'll have to wait for eggs to find out I guess. I dropped workers out of their stick into a tub, and instead of using all e tubes I provided, they've stuffed the whole colony into one. All the better for pictures I guess!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

You most likely stumbled across (literally haha) a satellite nest of a much larger colony, but you'll need to wait for new eggs and larvae to be sure. I find satellite colonies of these gals all the time too. Also, flights are coming up in the next week or so for these gals, so don't be afraid to capture more of these queens than you think you'll need, as they're polygynous. You can also sell any extras.

There won't be any flights up here yet, we haven't even had pimps fly. Just wondering, what time do subbarbatus fly? I'd like to catch a lot, they're one of my favorites. Also, would colonies accept newly mated queens, or do they have to found together?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

I have had some success with colonies merging and accepting new queens, but I wouldn't recommend you try unless you have a large amount of extra queens. I usually have them found together, and it works great. They tend to fly in the evening with temps around 75-88 degrees.

How late in the evening?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[TennesseeAnts]

 

 

 

 

3/14/20

I'll leave the big reveal for last, but don't get too impatient, I've only got a couple of small updates.

I'll start with my Tapinoma sessile, because it seems like most of the colony has escaped. I'm not sure where they went, but they'll come back eventually, or they'll die off, there aren't any good food sources or nesting spots other than their tube.

My Camponotus novaeborascensis are my first Camponotus to reach pupae! They've focused on getting 10 or so larvae to pupate, while the rest are still small. They've still got about 10 larvae that will probably be growing quickly to pupate soon now that the rest have.

Now it's time for the big reveal. Normally I wouldn't try to capture medium to large colonies, but I do have an exception. If the colony is going to die, I may as well try to capture them to keep that from happening. So Wednesday I was looking for small Camponotus subbarbatus colonies, and I accidentally stepped on a large stick. The stick broke, and I saw a large amount of subbarbatus workers. I had just stumbled upon what looked to be a large (by my standards) colony of them. I would have just let them hide, but they were still hibernating, and thus, would be eaten by animals. So I sacrificed the rest of my evening for a good cause, and I've now got a 100-150 worker Camponotus subbarbatus colony, with 2 drones, and maybe a queen! They've also got 100 plus overwintered larvae! I'm not sure if I have a queen or not, because she still has her wings, but she is also very physogastric, the most physogastric I've ever seen subbarbatus. I'll have to wait for eggs to find out I guess. I dropped workers out of their stick into a tub, and instead of using all e tubes I provided, they've stuffed the whole colony into one. All the better for pictures I guess!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

You most likely stumbled across (literally haha) a satellite nest of a much larger colony, but you'll need to wait for new eggs and larvae to be sure. I find satellite colonies of these gals all the time too. Also, flights are coming up in the next week or so for these gals, so don't be afraid to capture more of these queens than you think you'll need, as they're polygynous. You can also sell any extras.

There won't be any flights up here yet, we haven't even had pimps fly. Just wondering, what time do subbarbatus fly? I'd like to catch a lot, they're one of my favorites. Also, would colonies accept newly mated queens, or do they have to found together?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

I have had some success with colonies merging and accepting new queens, but I wouldn't recommend you try unless you have a large amount of extra queens. I usually have them found together, and it works great. They tend to fly in the evening with temps around 75-88 degrees.

How late in the evening?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

From 7:00 pm til about 12:30 am.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, March 16 2020 - 2:39 PM.

[madbiologist]

3/14/20

I'll leave the big reveal for last, but don't get too impatient, I've only got a couple of small updates.

I'll start with my Tapinoma sessile, because it seems like most of the colony has escaped. I'm not sure where they went, but they'll come back eventually, or they'll die off, there aren't any good food sources or nesting spots other than their tube.

My Camponotus novaeborascensis are my first Camponotus to reach pupae! They've focused on getting 10 or so larvae to pupate, while the rest are still small. They've still got about 10 larvae that will probably be growing quickly to pupate soon now that the rest have.

Now it's time for the big reveal. Normally I wouldn't try to capture medium to large colonies, but I do have an exception. If the colony is going to die, I may as well try to capture them to keep that from happening. So Wednesday I was looking for small Camponotus subbarbatus colonies, and I accidentally stepped on a large stick. The stick broke, and I saw a large amount of subbarbatus workers. I had just stumbled upon what looked to be a large (by my standards) colony of them. I would have just let them hide, but they were still hibernating, and thus, would be eaten by animals. So I sacrificed the rest of my evening for a good cause, and I've now got a 100-150 worker Camponotus subbarbatus colony, with 2 drones, and maybe a queen! They've also got 100 plus overwintered larvae! I'm not sure if I have a queen or not, because she still has her wings, but she is also very physogastric, the most physogastric I've ever seen subbarbatus. I'll have to wait for eggs to find out I guess. I dropped workers out of their stick into a tub, and instead of using all e tubes I provided, they've stuffed the whole colony into one. All the better for pictures I guess!

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

You most likely stumbled across (literally haha) a satellite nest of a much larger colony, but you'll need to wait for new eggs and larvae to be sure. I find satellite colonies of these gals all the time too. Also, flights are coming up in the next week or so for these gals, so don't be afraid to capture more of these queens than you think you'll need, as they're polygynous. You can also sell any extras.

There won't be any flights up here yet, we haven't even had pimps fly. Just wondering, what time do subbarbatus fly? I'd like to catch a lot, they're one of my favorites. Also, would colonies accept newly mated queens, or do they have to found together?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

I have had some success with colonies merging and accepting new queens, but I wouldn't recommend you try unless you have a large amount of extra queens. I usually have them found together, and it works great. They tend to fly in the evening with temps around 75-88 degrees.

How late in the evening?

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

From 6:00 pm til morning.

Will blacklights attract them?

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[TennesseeAnts]

Yep! And Colobopsis.

[madbiologist]

That's surprising, we figured in Ohio that they flew late afternoon, as a guy who blacklit a ton never caught any.

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[Thunder_Birds]

Nice colony man! That's alot of ants packed into a test tube You might want to move them into a bigger habitat...

[madbiologist]

Nice colony man! That's alot of ants packed into a test tube You might want to move them into a bigger habitat...

They were given 3, and they chose to stuff themselves into one.

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[Thunder_Birds]

Oh ok, cool. Ants can be very picky

[madbiologist]

Yeah, subbarbatus tend to like small spaces

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[TennesseeAnts]

Yeah, subbarbatus tend to like small spaces
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Makes sense. They're semi arboreal in the wild.