6 replies to this topic

[moldygreenbean]

Greetings.

I live on an abandoned golf course (it's been closed down for about 6 years now). The course is thriving with insect life and I take daily walks out there.

I have counted 8 Harvester Ant nests and 1 new one. So 9 total. I make my rounds usually daily (if work is forgiving) and observe the ants. Sometimes I carry oats or fruit and I drop it near the nest. There is one that I have been nurturing for about 1.5 years in hopes that one day I can capture an alate, however I appear to be running into some difficulties. 

Yesterday it rained hard. I knew after seeing some winged ants a few weeks ago, the flights were going to begin. I decided to go do my rounds and I found wingless fireant alates all over the place. Matter of fact, all fireant nests had flights going on. I managed to grab a few roamers and they are sitting in test tubes in a dark drawer. This is my first attempt at raising a colony. I have 6 total. 

 

Here is one I caught today

 

I hope that's a queen.

But the fireants aren't my prized joy. I really want a harvester ant queen, however, they don't appear to be flying. I see the alates (I think) sitting outside the nests, but they peek out, sit there for a second, and then turnaround and go back inside.

 

 

Then a few seconds later, they peek out and go right back in. I've walked the entire course looking for potential starter nests to attempt to dig up, but i've only managed to dig up bees and they don't appreciate that. 

 

So my question -

Will the flights occur throughout a day(s) or is it a few hours and its over?

 

There is alot of space to cover, but a majority of the land is brush so there's no way I'm walking through that. I know there are several harvester ant nests in the brush, because I see trails going in the direction, but unless I have a small drone, there's no telling.

 

 

 

I saw something rather fascinating I would like to share

This nest

 

 

Has two entrances. (notice the ants I asked to ID in another subforum, share space with the harvester ants. They get along fine it appears)

 

and this nest

 

 

are about 50-75ft away from one another, yet the big one has an entire trail of ants going to the smaller one. What's crazy is, the small one is fairly new. I've never seen it until recently. It sits between the large one in previous pic, and another large one, another 30ft in the same direction as this small one.

However, 50 ft in the opposite direction of the large one, is another medium size nest and right around the 25ft mark, there is a battleground. (i made a video but won't upload it). The two nests are always fighting. It's like the gaza strip. So many dead harvester ants and always fighting among them. What gives?

How is it that the large one is good with the small one 50 ft away, but on the other side, they are arch enemies?

Sorry for the long post.


 

[spectredaemon]

Definitely a queen I believe, in my very amateur experience. I collected 9 S. invicta queens the other day after similar weather (in Dallas, probably the same weather). I can't really see the coloring very well, though, but looks similar to mine.

[yen_saw]

For P. barbatus, the flight usually happen the next sunny day after heavy rain in June. The flight take place in the late morning or noon, and and hour or two later queens will be noticed crawling on the ground digging for founding chambers. No flight is expected after 3-4 pm but chances are queens can still be seen trying to dig in, this will continue for few more hours until sunset.  

[moldygreenbean]

For P. barbatus, the flight usually happen the next sunny day after heavy rain in June. The flight take place in the late morning or noon, and and hour or two later queens will be noticed crawling on the ground digging for founding chambers. No flight is expected after 3-4 pm but chances are queens can still be seen trying to dig in, this will continue for few more hours until sunset.  

Okay, thanks. I will be prepared to use some PTO day after a rain in June.

 

 

Definitely a queen I believe, in my very amateur experience. I collected 9 S. invicta queens the other day after similar weather (in Dallas, probably the same weather). I can't really see the coloring very well, though, but looks similar to mine.

Based on google images, you may be right. The colonies look alot like the ones in the Golf Course. I was hoping to get some fireants that had the large ornage majors (not sure the species), but out of these 6 queens, one or two have orangish abdomens. 

[spectredaemon]

Based on google images, you may be right. The colonies look alot like the ones in the Golf Course. I was hoping to get some fireants that had the large ornage majors (not sure the species), but out of these 6 queens, one or two have orangish abdomens. 

Definitely a queen I believe, in my very amateur experience. I collected 9 S. invicta queens the other day after similar weather (in Dallas, probably the same weather). I can't really see the coloring very well, though, but looks similar to mine.

 

 

 

http://www.alexander...sis/i-TmpJRRG/A, Gaster has same coloring, if that's what you mean. This is how my queens look.

Edited by spectredaemon, May 24 2017 - 11:13 AM.

[moldygreenbean]

Sorry for not checking back in, my home was struck by lighting memorial day and it burned down. Ants survived though! All but one queen has managed to survive over-time and she just hatched her first brood so i'm pretty excited. They are very small so far. I bought a little starter kit and it's awaiting their arrival. Once she has enough young, I will transfer them. Just wanted to give an update!

[Ants_Texas]

Sorry for not checking back in, my home was struck by lighting memorial day and it burned down. Ants survived though! All but one queen has managed to survive over-time and she just hatched her first brood so i'm pretty excited. They are very small so far. I bought a little starter kit and it's awaiting their arrival. Once she has enough young, I will transfer them. Just wanted to give an update!

Oh man that's terrible! They do look like queens peeking out of the nest. I'd go the day after it rains, and it's all up to luck after that. Not an answer I want to give, but in my experience that's what it comes down to.