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Help identify these foreign invaders on my ant desk


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37 replies to this topic

#1 Offline jasond1979 - Posted November 17 2020 - 10:08 PM

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https://www.formicul...ers-on-my-desk/

 

These guys are coming out of my electrical outlet, they are about 16th of an inch.  They like sweets and insects, also seeds.  They are very agressive in getting into my formicariums and squeeze into the smallest openings.

 

any ideas I'm using ant gel on these guys to hopefully knock them out.  They got into my cockerelli formicarium and killed about my starter colony very sad.

22002-invaders-on-my-desk

 

Another pic https://www.formicul...ing-up-my-desk/


Edited by jasond1979, November 17 2020 - 10:14 PM.


#2 Offline CheetoLord02 - Posted November 17 2020 - 10:36 PM

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Monomorium sp., I have a hunch it's M. ergatogyna but without microscopic pictures it's pretty much impossible to be sure.


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#3 Offline gcsnelling - Posted November 18 2020 - 3:23 AM

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In southern California the only currently recognized  native Monomorium is M. ergatogyna.


Edited by gcsnelling, November 18 2020 - 3:23 AM.


#4 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted November 18 2020 - 6:40 AM

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don't kill them capture them


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

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#5 Offline ZTYguy - Posted November 18 2020 - 9:29 AM

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YES CAPTURE THEM. 


Ant Keeping Since June 2018
Currently Keeping:
A. versicolor, C. us-ca02, C. yogi, C. Vicinus, C. laevigatus, C. clarithorax, C. maritimus, C. ocreatus, M. mexicanus, M. placodops 01, V. andrei, V. pergandei, N. cockerelli, P. barbata, P. montanus

Hoping to Catch This season:

M. romanei, M. placodops 02, P. imberbiculus, Polyergus sp., F. moki, A. megomatta, Cyphomyrmex sp.,Temnothorax sp.


#6 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted November 18 2020 - 9:37 AM

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make them your test subjects, turn them into ant zombies muahahahaha


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

 Join Our Fledgling Discord Server https://discord.com/...089056687423489


#7 Offline TechAnt - Posted November 18 2020 - 9:59 AM

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make them your test subjects, turn them into ant zombies muahahahaha

No, make them your anti-argentine ant weapons. Because they are fairly good at doing that.


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My Ants:
(x1) Campontous semitstaceus ~20 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Camponotus vicinus ~10 workers, 1 Queen (all black variety)
(x1) Tetramorium immigrans ~100 workers, 1 Queen
(x1) Myrmercocystus mexicanus -1 Queen
(x2) Mymercocystus mimcus -1 Queen
(x1) Mymercocystus testaceus ~45 workers, 1 Queen

#8 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted November 18 2020 - 10:41 AM

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i've literally trained the monomorium that raid my ant set ups. I provide them with food crickets, leftovers that my Pogonomyrmex didn't want and they march everywhere but my ant table, they go sleepy now tho ;( they only come on my table when there is honey, but they don't mess with anything else up there. I may catch them if i can find them though.


We don’t talk about that

#9 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted November 18 2020 - 10:46 AM

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the moral of this story is, DON'T KILL THE CHILDREN!!! let them kill the other children that try to raid your ant desk, and figure out a way to make peace with them, offering food and taking care of them or something.


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We don’t talk about that

#10 Offline OhNoNotAgain - Posted November 18 2020 - 11:02 AM

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i've literally trained the monomorium that raid my ant set ups. I provide them with food crickets, leftovers that my Pogonomyrmex didn't want and they march everywhere but my ant table, they go sleepy now tho ;( they only come on my table when there is honey, but they don't mess with anything else up there. I may catch them if i can find them though.

 

Wait, what? Did you actually convince them NOT to go to your ant table somehow?


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 KitsAntVa - Posted November 18 2020 - 12:25 PM

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Idk they just read my mind. I also killed their scouts :/ so they knew not to mess with me.
We don’t talk about that

#12 Offline Ants_Dakota - Posted November 18 2020 - 12:51 PM

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Idk they just read my mind. I also killed their scouts :/ so they knew not to mess with me.

i really don't think that ants are that smart. maybe they smell the pheromones of your other ants? 


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Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. -Proverbs 6: 6-8

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#13 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted November 18 2020 - 1:28 PM

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I trained them ;)
We don’t talk about that

#14 Offline jasond1979 - Posted November 18 2020 - 2:52 PM

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I agree I think they could handle Argentine ants well.  A couple made into my fragile colony and one Major would take out two then stop and have to regroup.  It’s like slicing them into was unpleasant for the major to do.   As far as keeping them as subjects they are extremely difficult to contain they can and will slip through the smallest space sometimes even wedging themselves under the formicarium glass.   Honestly I prefer Argentine ants at least they stay outside where these suckers are nesting in my electrical outlet.  No these guys are the devil there is no ant spieces that can stand up to them when they mass.  How do u think they kill bigger ants?  Must be a chemical attack



#15 Offline MinigunL5 - Posted November 18 2020 - 3:33 PM

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I agree I think they could handle Argentine ants well.  A couple made into my fragile colony and one Major would take out two then stop and have to regroup.  It’s like slicing them into was unpleasant for the major to do.   As far as keeping them as subjects they are extremely difficult to contain they can and will slip through the smallest space sometimes even wedging themselves under the formicarium glass.   Honestly I prefer Argentine ants at least they stay outside where these suckers are nesting in my electrical outlet.  No these guys are the devil there is no ant spieces that can stand up to them when they mass.  How do u think they kill bigger ants?  Must be a chemical attack

Prenos can strand up to them



#16 Offline Swirlysnowflake - Posted November 18 2020 - 3:52 PM

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I agree I think they could handle Argentine ants well.  A couple made into my fragile colony and one Major would take out two then stop and have to regroup.  It’s like slicing them into was unpleasant for the major to do.   As far as keeping them as subjects they are extremely difficult to contain they can and will slip through the smallest space sometimes even wedging themselves under the formicarium glass.   Honestly I prefer Argentine ants at least they stay outside where these suckers are nesting in my electrical outlet.  No these guys are the devil there is no ant spieces that can stand up to them when they mass.  How do u think they kill bigger ants?  Must be a chemical attack

Prenos can strand up to them

 

yep, had a huge colony of these in my yard, thousands on thousand of workers. got invaded by prenos, now the prenos took over my yard and the monomorium are essentially gone. only see one workers every few days, while i see the prenos every time i go outside


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#17 Offline gcsnelling - Posted November 18 2020 - 4:33 PM

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What in the world is a "preno" ?



#18 Offline M_Ants - Posted November 18 2020 - 4:35 PM

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Prenolepis. Duh. Jk. Lol. Ug I sound like a teenage girl what is happening? 


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Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about


#19 Offline ponerinecat - Posted November 18 2020 - 6:37 PM

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What in the world is a "preno" ?

Hobbyist shorthand for the genus prenolepis, almost always referring to imparis.


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#20 Offline MinigunL5 - Posted November 18 2020 - 7:00 PM

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What in the world is a "preno" ?

Hobbyist shorthand for the genus prenolepis, almost always referring to imparis.

 

Like how some people refer to Argentine Ants as Argies and Camponotus as Camponotus and Tetramorium as Tetras anD Pogonomyrmex as Pogonomyrmex and Honey Pot Ants as Pots


Edited by MinigunL5, November 18 2020 - 7:01 PM.

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