2121 replies to this topic

[ConcordAntman]

Thankfully, feeding has returned to being a routine chore, no loose plugs, no escapees, no drama! My largest C. pennsylvanicus colony continues to roll on while I’m noticing more timid foraging from my 2020 C. penns. The queen is active, with a brood pile of eggs and larvae. Several workers have eclosed but there have also been some deaths of the nanitics. We’ll see… The C. americanus are feeding much more aggressively with a small brood pile of pupae, larvae and eggs. I’ll accept their slow growth as a win. My 2020 C. novaeboracensis has gone to town. I might have 20-30 by the fall!?!
 

 

Through an unlucky combination of their constitution and my clumsiness, none of her nanitics survived more than a month past their first diapause. She eclosed her first nanitic 2.0 stillborn (which I attributed to depleted resources from me chilling all my colonies a month while we were out of town babysitting a new grandson!). This second nanitic 2.0, “Little One” is just about 2 weeks old.

 

 

I noticed her shortly after she had eclosed. Initially, she appeared helpless. She didn’t move around much or even forage. The queen groomed and tended her while she continued to forage for herself. It’s been interesting over the past 7-10 days to watch as Little One learned the ropes, began to forage for the queen, and tidy up the test tubes.

 

 

[ConcordAntman]

Yesterday was a feeding day. Three of my colonies are humming but I think my June 2020 C. pennsylvanicus colony is having a die-off. They came out of diapause with somewhere around 15 workers and are now down to 6. The queen is active and appears healthy. There were eclosures about 2 months out of diapause but now there are more eggs and early instar larvae with no pupae. No parasites that I can see and they’re fed the same as my other three colonies. Another confounding Camponotus conundrum

[Ottercl]

Hey,

What queens have people been catching around Massachusetts recently?

[ConcordAntman]

Great question. Weird weather, I have’s seen any big flights like 2018. 

[ConcordAntman]

Yesterday was a pretty chill feeding day. No new deaths in my 2020 C. pennsylvanicus colony. They’re extremely timid foragers but I saw a worker at the Sunburst feeder today. The queen appears healthy and seems to be laying but no new pupae since May or June. 
 

 

 

My C. novaeboracensis seem fine. The ladies are shielding the younglings to be (2 pupae, some larvae, and a clump of eggs). 

 

 

In spite of my unplugging disaster two weeks ago, my 2018 C. pennsylvanicus are fine. I barely get my hand out of the outworld before they attack the feeding dish and I feed them every other day!

 

 

 

Mother hen C. novaeboracensis is hopefully sitting on a brood. If she survives through till 2022 she’ll found my first non-C. pennsylvanicus colony.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rdurham02]

Looks like Myrmica and Lasius may have flown here last night in Central Maine.

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[Chickalo]

Lasius americanus has alates!  The colony I found was over by Lead Mills Conservation in Salem, had about 20 of each male and female alates, very promising.  

[ConcordAntman]

Two new C. novaeboracensis nanitics!  
 

 

[ConcordAntman]

Still concerned about my June 2020 C. pennsylvanicus colony. The queen seems healthy and active. They’re horrible foragers with no apparent interest in fruit, insects, or Sunburst. There’s a pile of eggs but no larvae or pupae since some eclosed in the spring, and half of last season’s nanitics have died. Should I hibernate them early?

[ConcordAntman]

We’re having some remodeling done on our house and unfortunately found our front facade had been an unknown 5th formicarium!

 

 

Our contractor sprayed the nest (C. pennsylvanicus I think) and we had about 5 minutes of it raining ants. It was a mature colony with all castes represented and numerous alates.

 

 

 

 

Finding so many alates still in the nest this late in the C. pennsylvanicus nuptial season seemed curious but it might be in line with the dearth of flights I’d noticed this season. Could it be that our hot and dry alternating with wet and cool conditions have altered their nuptial season?

 

 

[ambx327]

Found a de-alate queen wandering around my living room last night.

 

So I can confirm that C. pennsylvanicus flights are happening late in MA this year. 

[ConcordAntman]

Yeah, but perhaps not to the extent that I've seen in the past 2 or 3 years.

[Chickalo]

It could be due to the large amounts of rain we recieved in early July.

Also got some photos (if it doesn't embed I guess you'll have to click it, I REALLY don't feel like downloaded it)

 

Camponotus castaneus has their winter alate brood right now:

 

Crematogaster (Or as I like to call them, Creamytoebastards) with callows:

 

Lasius americanus I was talking about with their alates (maybe neoniger I dunno, my ID is terrible):

[Chickalo]

I'm realising now if you look close enough the Crematogaster also had some alate brood, so people around here will have to be on the look out for some queens soon!

[ConcordAntman]

Yesterday was feeding day. My June 2020 C. novaeboracensis has 5 nanitics and a generous brood pile. It’s possible but I’m not sure these will eclose before diapause. We’ll see. My May 2020 C. pennsylvanicus is continuing its die-off. They’ve gone from 15 down to 3 workers. The queen has a good sized pile of eggs and appears healthy, the colony is well fed and watered, and I haven’t spotted any parasites. I’ve got no clue what the issue is. My C. americanus are doing great. There’s been a few eclosures and a small pile of eggs. I can understand them bringing their larvae to the feeding dish in the outworld but still seems odd that they bring the eggs there too (or are these early instar larvae  ). 

 

 

 

 

A worrisome finding in my big C. pennsylvanicus colony. While cleaning the outworld, I noticed this ill appearing major with something on its antenna.

 

 

 

 

I removed it from the outworld and euthanized it but there must be more of whatever that thing is (mite, or some other parasite)! Since coming out of diapause, all my feeders have been frozen and flash boiled so I’m surprised a parasite could survive those extremes. Now I’ll be anxiously eyeing my colony. There’s always something 

 

[Ottercl]

There was a huge solenopsis molesta flight last night, Lasius neoniger and latipes also flew.

[ConcordAntman]

Just checking my charges today and found my 2020 C. pennsylvanicus queen was in the outworld with two of her remaining workers. I’d fed and watered the colony 24 hours ago. This seems ominous 

[ConcordAntman]

And then there were three. As I suspected, my 2020 C. pennsylvanicus colony has succumbed. From diapause to now, they’d gone from 16 to 2 workers and when I checked this morning the queen was dying. My other colonies are chugging along. No clue as to what caused the decline. Just one of those things…

[Chickalo]

And then there were three. As I suspected, my 2020 C. pennsylvanicus colony has succumbed. From diapause to now, they’d gone from 16 to 2 workers and when I checked this morning the queen was dying. My other colonies are chugging along. No clue as to what caused the decline. Just one of those things…

Camponotus just die sometimes, right?  In both my personal experience and others I've seen Camponotus just die randomly wether worker, queen, founding, or fledged colony.  Honestly a bit mad isn't it?

[ConcordAntman]

Yep. One of those things you just can’t figure. All in all though, I’m actually doing better. 2018 was my first season seriously anting. Only 1 of the 5 C. pennsylvanicus queens I caught survived. She’s the basis for my most successful colony now. Last year I caught a C. novaeboracensis and an un-mated P. impairis. I left the P. impairs to her fate and the C. novaeboracensis is building a colony so I’m actually battling 0.500!