2121 replies to this topic

[Chickalo]

Here's something I'm working on:

Pretty fun, any other ant keepers should try too, bonus if fellow ant keepers live in your town/city to work together.  And yes, I realise it should be Swampscott's not Swampscotts'

Edited by Chickalo, May 14 2021 - 9:50 AM.

[Antcatcherpro3]

I could do that with JP (where i live).

[Antcatcherpro3]

Ok, this was a big day for ants in my yard. First thing that I saw was a massive tetramorium war breaking out of my walkway. They were tearing eachother apart. Second thing is nuptial flights. Camponotus flew today. I caught a queen. Idk what species is is though. And my dad said he saw a really big queen, which would prob be camponotus pennsylvanicus. I will post pics of the queen I caught to find out what type it is.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Sorry I though I got a clear pic. 

[Antcatcherpro3]

[Antcatcherpro3]

Idk I'll find a way to get a clear pic but she is about the size of a prenolepis queen maybe a bit smaller with a long abdomen. She also looks like a fast mini pennsylvanicus queen.

[Antcatcherpro3]

I am pretty sure she is Camponotus nearcticus. Looks exactly like the pics. Now I just need to find out if she's fertile or not...

[ConcordAntman]

Nice!  My Prenolepis queens haven't laid either...  When did you catch the Camponotus?  If this year where?  I want to catch as many queens of different species from now until November first for no particular reason... 

I caught her last June. All but one of her nanitics died over diapause. I’m hoping these larvae survive to maturity. 

[Kaelwizard]

I am pretty sure she is Camponotus nearcticus. Looks exactly like the pics. Now I just need to find out if she's fertile or not...

She could be caryae. Don't always trust random pics on google.

Edited by Kaelwizard, May 15 2021 - 6:45 AM.

[Antcatcherpro3]

She doesn't look like caryae, she has a striped abdomen.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Also I caught a species of aphenogster (at least I think it is). Is it nuptial flight season for them? And I saw a dead Pennsylvanicus queen.

The aphenogaster queen is really cool looking. 

[Antcatcherpro3]

And I think she is Apehnogaster picea, looks like a queen that I kept before. Anyways if the camponotus queen is fertile or the ahpenogaster queen is, I will make a journal on them, so yeah

[Kaelwizard]

She doesn't look like caryae, she has a striped abdomen.

C. subbarbatus maybe? They have stripes, while caryae and nearcticus do not have "stripes."

[NickAnter]

I think C. caryae can occaisonally have a stripe. They seem to be rather variable in color. Anyway, to distinguish the two, since subbarbatus isn't in MA, you have to look at the sides of the head. If there are many hairs present, it is caryae. If not, then it is nearcticus.

[Antcatcherpro3]

No hairs, then it's nearcticus.

[NickAnter]

Yes, nice find so early for up there.

Edited by NickAnter, May 15 2021 - 11:33 AM.

[ANTdrew]

C. nearcticus are more common, too, so that’s a safe guess.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Whelp, you know that ahpenogaster queen I caught? Well it was tetramorium. I also caught a tretraorium queen and colony while lifting up a rock. I never though I would see a tetramorium queen at the surface. So now I have a 30 worker colony, and a queen.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Actually no. I'm bad at ID'ing when I want to be. That Apehnogaster queen, Was and Aphenogaster queen.

[Kaelwizard]

Actually no. I'm bad at ID'ing when I want to be. That Apehnogaster queen, Was and Aphenogaster queen.

Wait so it was Aphaenogaster, then Tetramorium, and now Aphaenogaster again? If it is Aphaenogaster it is most likely from last year as they fly in August to September in my experience.