7 replies to this topic

[TofuPower]

I'm very curious to find out what these are.

This area is super clogged with fire ants and some tiny black ones the size of poppy seeds.

 

 

I had a hard time getting the still images to show up in the post, and for some reason they won't upload either.  

I've got the still images in a Google Album here:

https://goo.gl/photo...mDx7TbFDqXN6Xn8

 

 

Running:

These ants run very fast, and seem to change directions for no reason.

Their movements remind me of water bugs on the surface of a creek.

When they were on my hand, they made no attempt to bite or sting me, and don't appear to have a stinger (To my untrained eye)

 

Location

found:

Parking lot of Midlands Technical College - Airport Campus

West Columbia, South Carolina  29170

 

 

Time found:

The first time I saw these was June 02, but my sd card ate those pictures.

I found them again yesterday, June 20

I was actively looking for them , but did not see them between the 2nd and the 20th.

Both times I found them in the shade of a parking lot, in the evening, a few days after a good rain storm.  

Temperature was warm, but not sweltering like it has a tendency to get in Columbia, SC.

 

 

They seem to be quite fragile...

On June 2nd I took two of them home, hoping to get better pictures.  I left them in sealed plastic containers with a few loose cotton balls, and gave them both a tiny droplet of 1honey:3water mixture to drink.  The next morning they were dead.  It was the same honey I give my other ants, and the water was bottled drinking water.  I didn't add any moisture beyond the tiny droplet to drink, and they still had half of it left.  I thought they'd be fine until morning, but I think they dried out.

 

 

 

I've got the still images in a Google Album here:

https://goo.gl/photo...mDx7TbFDqXN6Xn8

 

 

 

38 second video clip, resting ant:'

 

 

 

 

 

 

1:29 video clip shows a little bit of the spazzy behavior:

(After the end of the clip, I was successfully able to move her to the ground from my car hood)

 

 

 

 

Thank you so much for your help!

Edited by TofuPower, June 21 2016 - 12:00 PM.

[Batspiderfish]

Dorymyrmex bureni

[TofuPower]

Pyramid ant!

 

That would make sense... I remember reading a long time ago that pyramid ants were really the only kind that can live side by side with fire ants.  I had attempted to locate some, but didn't know what I was looking for and gave up.  Also, I just read that they prefer sandy soil, and I am in the sand flats of South Carolina.

 

Question:  Any idea why my first two specimens I caught died overnight?  Are they a fragile species, or did I do something stupid?  ...I want to know if I should avoid trying to keep a queen of this species if I get my hands on one.  I'm only experienced with fire ants because our city is drowning in them.

 

Thanks for the info!!!  

[i2chip]

Pyramid ant!

 

That would make sense... I remember reading a long time ago that pyramid ants were really the only kind that can live side by side with fire ants.  I had attempted to locate some, but didn't know what I was looking for and gave up.  Also, I just read that they prefer sandy soil, and I am in the sand flats of South Carolina.

 

Question:  Any idea why my first two specimens I caught died overnight?  Are they a fragile species, or did I do something stupid?  ...I want to know if I should avoid trying to keep a queen of this species if I get my hands on one.  I'm only experienced with fire ants because our city is drowning in them.

 

Thanks for the info!!!  

If you catch a Dorymymex queen you should definitely keep her. I don't see any reason why you shouldn't. I probably have about 15-20 Dorymymex sp. nest in my yard and I have yet to find a Dorymymex queen, best of luck to you! (And yeah I have about 50 or so Solenopsis invicta test tube colonies that started with 2-3 queen each, so we've got a lot of fire ant here too!)

[123LordOfAnts123]

Pyramid ant!

That would make sense... I remember reading a long time ago that pyramid ants were really the only kind that can live side by side with fire ants. I had attempted to locate some, but didn't know what I was looking for and gave up. Also, I just read that they prefer sandy soil, and I am in the sand flats of South Carolina.

Question: Any idea why my first two specimens I caught died overnight? Are they a fragile species, or did I do something stupid? ...I want to know if I should avoid trying to keep a queen of this species if I get my hands on one. I'm only experienced with fire ants because our city is drowning in them.

Thanks for the info!!!

No clue why the workers died, but I'd first look towards the plastic container. Some plastics and the fumes they emit can be toxic especially in sealed conditions.

If you want to find a queen of the species it should be quite easy; they fly at night during warm humid nights or after rain and alates are attracted to lights. You can sometimes find queens the morning or afternoon after a flight. Evidence of queens is highly conspicuous in the form of small round dirt mounds as the queens excavate their first founding chambers. In the first day or two the mounds are visible and the queens easily dug up.

Edited by 123Lord Of Ants123, June 21 2016 - 3:06 PM.

[TofuPower]

...

No clue why the workers died, but I'd first look towards the plastic container. Some plastics and the fumes they emit can be toxic especially in sealed conditions.

 

Thanks!

 

I'm actually suspicious of the cotton balls.

The cotton balls are in there mainly to give them something to hang onto and feel safe underneath.

Those particular cotton balls were new, from a newly opened bag of a cheap generic brand I've never used before.

 

The plastic containers are actually 2oz condiment cups from Walmart.

They are made for storing food without washing first, so I figured they were safe enough.

It's easy to poke tiny holes in them as well.

I've been using them for a long time with no problems.

[Runner12]

Every Dorymyrmex Queen I've ever caught has died within minutes of being placed in a glass or plastic tube, I have no idea why, but they seem to be extremely sensitive

Edited by Runner12, June 21 2016 - 7:56 PM.

[TofuPower]

Every Dorymyrmex Queen I've ever caught has died within minutes of being placed in a glass or plastic tube, I have no idea why, but they seem to be extremely sensitive

 

Oh wow!

It seems they are sensitive to something for sure!

 

I plan to set out some traps in the coming weeks to see if I can catch any.

If I catch multiple queens I'll try housing them in different materials with different brands of cotton.