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Vendayn's Pogonomyrmex californicus (Bi-color, wasp-like) journal (04-17-17)


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#1 Offline Vendayn - Posted April 12 2017 - 6:34 PM

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Found a Pogonomyrmex californicus queen today out by Palm Springs. She is the wasp-like bi-color variety of Pogonomyrmex californicus. I find the Pogonomyrmex californicus out here in the desert are far easier to keep than the pansy coastal variety. I hope I get a good colony out of her, as they are an awesome species. She is bigger than the coastal Pogonomyrmex californicus queens I find by my apartment, by quite a substantial amount. I'd say two times the size of the local Pogonomyrmex queens. 

 

I probably won't be able to boost her with same brood from here (too dry and hard of soil), but maybe when I get back to the coast I can "steal" some brood to give her, of the local Pogonomyrmex. I don't know if it will work though, as the Pogonomyrmex here are very aggressive and don't tend to be very accepting of even other colony (of the same species) brood from my previous attempts. Sometimes the queens accept brood, but not often.  I do prefer boosting queens though, because it gives them a much higher chance of survival. Still, I don't come home for about a week so we'll see. I do have a termite colony, and termites seem to give a much higher chance of success too. Every queen I've given termites to, always (thus far) do far better than the queens I haven't given termites too. Maybe a coincidence, not sure.

 

Hope I get a good colony out of my single queen. :)


Edited by Vendayn, April 17 2017 - 6:44 PM.


#2 Offline Vendayn - Posted April 14 2017 - 8:46 AM

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I forgot to add the other day. But, the queen drank water for a good 2-3 minutes non-stop. That is how dry it is out here right now. So, I bet a lot of the queen founding chambers I see are all dried up and dead. I haven't seen any activity, except for the one queen I found.



#3 Offline Vendayn - Posted April 16 2017 - 4:24 PM

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I found a second Pogonomyrmex californicus queen just 30 minutes ago. In the same area too. She is actually noticeably bigger than the first queen I found (literally 2 times bigger, very noticeable), faster and quite more aggressive. The first queen I found, she was already rather large compared to the Pogonomyrmex I find over in Irvine. This second queen is like a super queen. She is missing one leg (from when she was in my fingers as I tried finding something to put her in), but that doesn't slow her down at all. She darts around really fast, especially compared to my first queen I found. Probably the biggest Pogonomyrmex californicus queen I've personally found. I guess some queens can be pretty large. She must have been fed a REALLY good diet in the colony she came from lol. Probably got a good diet of termites, since there are a lot of termites around here. I can tell she is going to give me an amazing colony.

 

I'll have my wife come up with names for the two queen ants, so they are easier to talk about. And my wife can be a bit involved too, instead of it just being about me and myself coming up with a name and caring for them.


Edited by Vendayn, April 16 2017 - 4:46 PM.


#4 Offline JasonD - Posted April 16 2017 - 9:20 PM

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Is it seriously 2 times bigger? That's nuts, can you post any photos? 



#5 Offline Jelly - Posted April 16 2017 - 9:21 PM

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Nice find! Congrats!

I'm looking for P. Californicus this year too. Looks like i might have to drive out to Palm Springs soon.

 

Post up some pix btw!



#6 Offline Vendayn - Posted April 17 2017 - 8:35 AM

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I don't have access to a camera here, till I get home (which is tomorrow). I'm almost thinking the second queen isn't Pogonomyrmex californicus because she is just so huge and "buffed" (muscled) up. Her thorax is really big and thick. She is the size (or close to it) of my Pogonomyrmex rugosus queen I had (yes! she is that big!), which I would think makes her Pogonomyrmex barbatus. Though, around here by far the most common ant out of them all is Pogonomyrmex californicus and I found the second queen where I always find Pogonomyrmex californicus queens. I haven't seen any Pogonomyrmex barbatus colonies around here, and not even sure if they go this far west (extremely close to the border of Arizona).

 

She probably is just a super huge Pogonomyrmex californicus queen, but hopefully pictures tomorrow will solve that.


Edited by Vendayn, April 17 2017 - 8:36 AM.


#7 Offline Vendayn - Posted April 17 2017 - 8:58 AM

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I took her out of the sand/dirt mix and put the second queen in a test tube. She isn't the same species at all, way too big. She looks a bit different too (very thick/big thorax). There is never that much of a size difference with Pogonomyrmex californicus. This second queen is the size of a Pogonomyrmex rugosus queen.



#8 Offline Vendayn - Posted April 17 2017 - 4:54 PM

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So, I put the second queen back in a sand/dirt setup. I gave her a termite and she ate it up. She is definitely Pogonomyrmex californicus as I got an ID that is what she is. She is just super large.

 

Here are the two pictures I took today of her

 

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