47 replies to this topic

[Pulliamj]

1. Location of collection: Texas
2. Date of collection: 4/09/15
3. Habitat of collection: Sandy soil
4. Length (from head to gaster):1/4" workers queens 3/8"
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: Orange/red and because of how light they are I can see a black area inside each of their gasters.
6. Distinguishing characteristics: move really fast, their legs and antenna are almost as long as their entire body.
7. Anything else distinctive: multiple queens one colony
8. Nest description: Unorganized mound with multiple entrances.

I dug this colony up with a shovel and sorted it in my bathtub.

Edited by Pulliamj, April 10 2015 - 4:10 AM.

[Pulliamj]

[Pulliamj]

[Pulliamj]

[Crystals]

Nice looking colony.

Are you sure the length is 1/4" for workers, and queens 3/8"?  We usually measure in mm because even a few mm can make a big difference.

 

Question 2: does your location receive snow at all? 

 

I hope someone with more experience might have a better idea.

http://www.antweb.or...e&genCache=true

[Pulliamj]

It does snow sometimes but it normally only lasts a day or so usually. I don't have a mm scale. I measured it with a ruler.

[Pulliamj]

I leave the queens all together because that's how I found them correct?

[Pulliamj]

They really like honey.

[AntLover101]

Yes, leave the queens together and if you find more queens or workers you can introduce them to that colony.

[Pulliamj]

There are 6 queens and around 50 workers.

[Jonathan21700]

Maybe Formica.

[Crystals]

Yes, leave the queens together and if you find more queens or workers you can introduce them to that colony.

Be very cautious when trying this.

If the queens and workers were found together, then it is fine to leave them together.

 

Adding ants from other colonies, especially workers, might result in fighting.  Try with one worker first if trying it at all.

[Pulliamj]

I can't catch these without injuring them. They are freaky fast.

[Crystals]

Aspirators, or a very small and low suction dust buster are usually pretty good.

 

For some species, I end up using a child's sand shovel to dump them into a bucket with an escape barrier at the top until I can get them into a small container.

[Pulliamj]

I'm sure the neighbors would think I've lost my mind dipping and moving frantically to keep up with these guys. I'm going to hope I have enough workers and queens to be successful with them. I just want to make sure I don't need to feed them seeds or something.

[Crystals]

Good plan.  I can only imagine the looks on the neighbors faces. 

I think you have enough workers for the queens.

 

With such beautiful coloration, it can't be that hard to ID them.  I have a wild guess or two (such as Myrmecocystus), but I am unfamilar with all of the species that may be present in that area and will leave it for those who know more about your local species.

 

Such nice coloration.  I can't wait to see how they do.

 

I suggest some sugar water or hummingbird nectar and a couple of cut up insects as most ants will accept those.

[Pulliamj]

Thanks Crystal. Yes, I think they are the coolest color. And they have really long legs. Makes it more interesting to watch.

[Jonathan21700]

Yeah, really nice color!

[Pulliamj]

Holy crap!!! They are escape artists!!! I'm laughing now but was freaking out for about 30 minutes. I could not contain them and I had no containers to contain them. I finally resorted to putting them in the fridge to slow them down. I lost a few workers in the process but I think it was less than 10. I now have them in a glass mason jar with the screw on lid with tiny air holes. I'm not sure I can keep these with my current experience level. They are lightening fast. Maybe they are a new hybrid fire ant species. That's what they seem to be like.

[Crystals]

I have a sneaking hunch that they are Myrmecocystus (honey pot ant), but I am not positive. 

Not fire ants though, these only have one petiole node, not two. 

 

A talc barrier or a fluon (insect-a-slip) barrier will keep them contained.  For the talc, find a baby powder that is 100% talc powder and mix it with rubbing alcohol into a thick paste.  Once dry, the powder crumbles away under their weight.  The barrier can erode pretty quick if they are trying lots.

You can also try a thin layer of olive oil, I am not sure if it will contain this species though.

 

What kind of nest/seetup are you planning for them?