19 replies to this topic

[Crystals]

Looking for ants has some things in common, but there do seem to be small differences depending on your location.  Especially if you have snow for more than half of the year.  So I made a video on how I have found many queens and colonies in Alberta, Canada.

 

The biggest difference is that with snow during the winter, the ground doesn't dry out and many founding queens will only dig their chamber a few inches deep.  I have found quite a few queens under rocks and bits of wood.

 

 

[Mercutia]

Wow. You make it seem like ants are pretty pervasive in AB. Never have that kind of luck flipping over rocks and logs. I'd have to turn 20 logs before I find even one colony and they tend to be Formica or Lasius. And mostly find Myrmica sp. (boring) or Tetramorium sp. under rocks/concrete. The only Camponotus colonies I see are dug deep in the bottom around the roots of living trees.

 

Still haven't found a Camponotus queen this year yet D;

[dspdrew]

Is there a part two, or is that just the way it ends?

[Michaelofvancouver]

Wow, are queens really that easy to find in Alberta? 

 

I haven't had any luck with logs or stones, and I can only find queens right after they fly. 

Edited by Michaelofvancouver, May 25 2014 - 1:57 PM.

[Mads]

You  need to keep looking, when I lived in Abbotsford I found queens quite often as well. Just like Crystal said, look under every stone or piece of wood you come across. Perseverance is the key, if you aren't looking, you'll never find what you're looking for.......

 

Mads

[Crystals]

Yes, that is how the video ends.  Getting ambushed by my cat, it followed me for the whole 3km trip.  I am amazed that you can't hear it in all of the other videos, as when I was recording I was wondering what people were going to think of the cat while it was making so much noise.  

It took me about 2 hours to film that - mostly just walking trying to find the right log or exposed rock.  For every 4 I turned over, usually only one had a colony or a queen.  But that is in a woodland and tall grass area, if I had drove to a sand or gravel pit, I would have had much more luck with turning over rocks.

 

Yeah, I was quite surprised to see the Camponotus nest.  Most of the nests are in the center of standing trees. Many live trees up here actually rot/die in the center due to a fungus/mushroom and the Camponotus move right in.

 

As I was on the road almost back to my place I saw (and grabbed) a Formica podzolica queen who must have abandoned her founding chamber.

[dspdrew]

Man, you would be pretty disappointed doing that down here. About one out of every 100 rocks or logs down here would have a queen under it (assuming you were in a location that experienced a mating flight recently). For this reason, I don't waste the energy.

[Crystals]

That is why I made the video for more northern locations. 

 

I was so shocked when I found out that most of your Camponotus were ground nesting....  Something that almost never happens up here, although Camponotus vicinus nests under rocks.

[dermy]

Yeah the carpenter ants here like dead or dying trees that are rotten to the core. They do make satellite nests under rocks near the trees though.

[ParaStatic]

I have found most of my queens in Central WI under wood and stones.  Caught a flight once with Camponotus.  Living in Upper Michigan now, pretty much the same luck finding them.

[AntsAreUs]

That cat seems nosy!

[Crystals]

My cat is crazy, it  thinks it is dog and like to go on walks.  If it weren't for the dog constantly going after the foxes, I am sure it would have gotten eaten at least 3 times during this walk.

 

That Formica I found on my way back I fed well and she successfully raised 18 workers, and I still have her.

 

I am right on the edge of the boreal forest, with thousands of acres of poplar trees, we have tonnes of Camponotus.  I usually only see Formica, Lasius, or Myrmica under rocks and logs, and they are our most abundant and common species.

[dean_k]

No Prenolepis imparis in your area?

 

Of all places, it should thrive in your area. It looks like Lasius & Formica are the most common sp.

 

Is it just me? It seems Prenolepis imparis is rare?

Edited by dean_k, November 7 2014 - 8:41 AM.

[Crystals]

I have no Prenolepis imparis, our winters are too long and too cold - we have frost 4 feet deep in the ground in winter.  I know they are in the very southern edge of Ontario though.

 

I am a growing hardiness zone 2a.  The areas I know they are in Ontartio are a growing zone 4-5+.  Higher the number, the warmer and milder the winter is (and more kinds of plants can survive year round).

 

Ontario growing zones: http://www.cornhilln...eastcanada.html

[dean_k]

It's kind of sad that you are limited to only few sp due to the location you live. I wish I got into anting when I was living in Windsor. Windsor has really mild winters. No one seems to have winter ants though. Not even here. I saw one winter ant colony from Youtube and that was it.

 

I was googling around and was saddened by the fact that I could never catch bullants, asian marauder ants, and other exotic sp.

[Crystals]

I enjoy watching videos and reading journals about many of these exotic ants, yet I do not really have a desire to keep them myself.  I have 93 species in my location, and every summer I go to BC, where I see several species like Aphaenogaster that simply don't occur in Alberta.

 

Once you get used to spotting queens, you will find that there are more interesting species locally than you actually have room and time for. 

 

I currently have 8 species that I want to keep long term (and caught last year), yet I only have room for 3-4 colonies once they mature in 3-5 years.  Make some ant friends in southern Ontario. Maybe they can bring you a queen or two. 

 

If you want exotic ants, look around greenhouses where they bring their plants from outside of Canada.  Poke around in the plant pots, it isn't too rare to find a hitch-hiking colony.  Definately not easy, but not impossible.  For some reason, most of the hitchhiking species like to sting.....

[dean_k]

Nah, I am not planning to go that far. I don't want ants that are not native in my area because, if they get too large, I am willing to let them go into the wild. I can't do that with exotic ants and would have to freeze them to death.

 

I believe I told you that I want just 3 colonies, 1 winter ant, 1 I purchased from you , and one big ant sp.

 

P.S. One of my Lasius queens was found dead. She was belly up when I was checking and I let her out in room temp for a day but she was still belly up and unresponsive. So, now I have only one Lasius queen left.

Edited by dean_k, November 7 2014 - 9:38 AM.

[Crystals]

I had a friend in Vancouver who had been given a potted plant for her birthday - and it had ants in it (and they stung).  She managed to seperate the colony and queen, and when she couldn't ID them, took them to the local university who IDed them as fire ants.  The university asked for the colony and she gave the colony to them as she didn't want a species that stung.

 

I gave you a Myrmica colony, which are about medium sized.  For a larger ant species, Formica or Camponotus are common and easy to keep.  As for the winter ant, you are much closer to them than I am. Good luck with your hunt. 

[dean_k]

The Myrmica colony showed some interesting stuff.

 

I saw them kind of dueling few times. Saw one of the queens being carried out of the nest for apple juice. A worker would just pick up one of the queens and move out.

 

I once gave them a semi-live fly, 4 foragers chopped its wings, legs, and its head off and then carried it to queen's chamber where one of the bigger workers devoured it.

 

Interesting stuff. Looking forward more ... after winter sleep is over.

[AntsAreUs]

No Prenolepis imparis in your area?

 

Of all places, it should thrive in your area. It looks like Lasius & Formica are the most common sp.

 

Is it just me? It seems Prenolepis imparis is rare?

Prenolepis imaparis is not rare for me, just hared to keep.