842 replies to this topic

[sericultivist]

 

 

Saw some 0.7-0.8mm alates (apparently all queens) crawling out somewhere. Didn't have time to check what species, but I wish I could have followed them. (This was early in the morning)

Are you sure they were 0.7mm-0.8mm lol

 

 

.....On second thought... maybe they were males

 

 

I think he was referring to the fact that you said 0.7mm-0.8mm instead of 7mm-8mm. Don't think there are many queens out there that are a fraction of a millimeter lol

[Jadeninja9]

Haha yeah

[sirjordanncurtis]

Oh, well my bad, yeah sorry. 

Edited by sirjordanncurtis, May 13 2018 - 4:50 PM.

[sirjordanncurtis]

I found a Lasius (still determining species) queen under a rock today.

 

One leg seems to be slightly torn off and it severely impairing her ability to move. Is there anything I can do about that?

Edited by sirjordanncurtis, May 14 2018 - 3:58 PM.

[Jadeninja9]

I found a Lasius (still determining species) queen under a rock today.

 

One leg seems to be slightly torn off and it severely impairing her ability to move. Is there anything I can do about that?

You just gotta hope for the best. Did you make an ID post for her? She can only be either alienus or flavus.

[sirjordanncurtis]

The characteristics definitely seem to match Lasius flavus. It also seems just slightly early for alienus currently.

 

She also tore off the injured leg, which I suppose is a good thing.

Edited by sirjordanncurtis, May 14 2018 - 7:21 PM.

[YsTheAnt]

Memorial day looks primed for flights, and the day after. I'm expecting a good Liometopum occidentale flight, and likely Tetramorium, V. andrei, and maybe some Camponotus if they aren't done flying. I'm going to try black lighting for some smaller species as well, I'll let you all know how it goes.

[miksha]

Hi all! I'm new to ants but I'm really excited and have been looking for a camponotus vicinus queen to no avail. I read this thread and maybe I will try the tennesee valley trails in marin this weekend. Are there any specific conditions for finding queens? Do you just find them walking out there?

 

I caught one tiny tiny ant queen with wings a while ago and she made eggs but they never hatched so I guess she didn't get pregnant. I appreciate any help and tips, thanks!

 

Some good spots are:
Santa Teresa Park, San Jose
Stevens Creek Park, Cupertino
Black diamond mines, East Bay area

 

     I'd like to share a few of my spots as well. I'm leaving specific areas of these places out, because I think a lot of the fun with finding queens is exploring nature and finding things for yourself. That being said, a lot of people in the Bay Area don't even know where to start because of how common Argentine ants are here.

 

Something I'd like to make clear though is that the chances are you WILL NOT see all of these species if you go to these places. Temperature is very important, especially since most of these parks are in traditionally cold parts of the Bay Area that don't heat up when the rest of it is warm. That being said, be selective about when you visit places. Aim for 72+ degrees days (Make sure you check the temperature of the place you're going, not just the place you live. The Bay Area is a land of microclimates.) and have a general idea of what you're looking for when you go. 

 

San Bruno Mountain, near Daly City - Easy to get to and fantastic Formica spot, at least 5 species up there. I've also seen mature and very nicely coloured red and black Camponotus vicinus colonies, full of alates. This is a great spot to see huge Formica integroides mounds, they are right next to the parking lots. The huge picnic field is covered in Formica fusca as well.

 

San Pedro Valley/Montarra Mountain, near Pacifica - Big, uphill trail that starts you off in San Pedro Valley and brings you all the way up to Montarra Mountain. Tons of Formica, Camponotus, and if you look closely enough you'll see Monomorium everywhere as well. Tons of Formica argentea in the parking lot as well. The further up the trail you go the more diversity you encounter. It starts with Formica fusca and Aphaenogaster occidentalis, and as you climb you begin to find things like Camponotus hyatti and Formica integroides. I found Temnothorax on the Manzanita bushes in the scrub about halfway up. Another cool thing about this trail is that P.S. Ward went through it in the 90's on an ant collection campaign and identified over 27 different species in the valley, including Pogonomyrmex subdentatus, Pheidole californica, and Crematogaster coarctica.

 

Tennessee Valley Trails, near Mill Valley - Great spot for Camponotus after dark, I've seen at least three species. Semitestaceus flies here in swarms. I find Formica in the Fusca group here as well, along with Aphaenogaster occidentalis. I find Camponotus semitestaceus and Camponotus vicinus queens just after dark here when they fly. You'll have to avoid stepping on them throughout certain trails as they can get really plentiful. Most of the Formica I see are on the road leading up to the trailhead and Miwok Stables, not in the valley itself.

 

Mount Tamalpais, near Mill Valley - All around great spot for ants. Most of it is undisturbed wilderness with hiking trails running through it. Good spot for Camponotus, amazing spot for Aphaenogaster occidentalis (lift up wet logs), decent Formica diversity, big Veromessor andrei trails, and I caught a Liomepotum occidentale queen there last year. You'll find plenty of Tapinoma sessile too, if you're into that. Despite having spent so much time up on the mountain, I was mostly photographing amphibians. I haven't had a good chance to really scope out ants up there, but I suspect there's a lot more than I've listed.

 

Edgewood Natural Preserve, near Redwood City - Veromessor andrei are the stars of this place. Instead of being the regular red & black variety that you find everywhere else in the bay area, the Veromessor andrei here are pure black. Good spot for Prenolepis imparis too, I caught a queen there in February. Camponotus vicinus and a few Formica species can be found here too. Unfortunately, a few areas are overrun with Linepithema humile.

 

Thanks for all the tips! You say tennessee valley is great for camponotus after dark...is it legal to be in the park at night? Isn't it scary too?

Edited by miksha, May 22 2018 - 9:19 PM.

[Enderz]

It's legal to go there  (I would assume as long as it is public) , and yea it's scary. Just bring a flashlight and a friend and it will be fine.

[Jadeninja9]

I’m still gonna look around in the wood side area with all the redwoods to see if I can find some big species

[YsTheAnt]

Look on warm nights and under streetlights for queens. It's not all that random, you might go out five days and find nothing, but one really hot (80 degree+) day you will find tons of queens.

I’m still gonna look around in the wood side area with all the redwoods to see if I can find some big species

The oak Forest is where it's at, redwoods are devoid of ants, except maybe aphaenogaster occidentale. Look for Camponotus quercicola, they are massive and only found in CA oak trees.

[Jadeninja9]

Dude you don’t even know wunderlich park lol. Huge formic and Camponotus workers EVERYWHERE. Also aphaenogaster and winter ants and tons of other stuff.

[YsTheAnt]

Dude you don’t even know wunderlich park lol. Huge formic and Camponotus workers EVERYWHERE. Also aphaenogaster and winter ants and tons of other stuff.

Wow, maybe I'll check that out lol. Whenever I looked at redwoods, all I found was aphaenogaster.

[sericultivist]

Hi all! I'm new to ants but I'm really excited and have been looking for a camponotus vicinus queen to no avail. I read this thread and maybe I will try the tennesee valley trails in marin this weekend. Are there any specific conditions for finding queens? Do you just find them walking out there?

 

I caught one tiny tiny ant queen with wings a while ago and she made eggs but they never hatched so I guess she didn't get pregnant. I appreciate any help and tips, thanks!

 

Some good spots are:
Santa Teresa Park, San Jose
Stevens Creek Park, Cupertino
Black diamond mines, East Bay area

 

     I'd like to share a few of my spots as well. I'm leaving specific areas of these places out, because I think a lot of the fun with finding queens is exploring nature and finding things for yourself. That being said, a lot of people in the Bay Area don't even know where to start because of how common Argentine ants are here.

 

Something I'd like to make clear though is that the chances are you WILL NOT see all of these species if you go to these places. Temperature is very important, especially since most of these parks are in traditionally cold parts of the Bay Area that don't heat up when the rest of it is warm. That being said, be selective about when you visit places. Aim for 72+ degrees days (Make sure you check the temperature of the place you're going, not just the place you live. The Bay Area is a land of microclimates.) and have a general idea of what you're looking for when you go. 

 

San Bruno Mountain, near Daly City - Easy to get to and fantastic Formica spot, at least 5 species up there. I've also seen mature and very nicely coloured red and black Camponotus vicinus colonies, full of alates. This is a great spot to see huge Formica integroides mounds, they are right next to the parking lots. The huge picnic field is covered in Formica fusca as well.

 

San Pedro Valley/Montarra Mountain, near Pacifica - Big, uphill trail that starts you off in San Pedro Valley and brings you all the way up to Montarra Mountain. Tons of Formica, Camponotus, and if you look closely enough you'll see Monomorium everywhere as well. Tons of Formica argentea in the parking lot as well. The further up the trail you go the more diversity you encounter. It starts with Formica fusca and Aphaenogaster occidentalis, and as you climb you begin to find things like Camponotus hyatti and Formica integroides. I found Temnothorax on the Manzanita bushes in the scrub about halfway up. Another cool thing about this trail is that P.S. Ward went through it in the 90's on an ant collection campaign and identified over 27 different species in the valley, including Pogonomyrmex subdentatus, Pheidole californica, and Crematogaster coarctica.

 

Tennessee Valley Trails, near Mill Valley - Great spot for Camponotus after dark, I've seen at least three species. Semitestaceus flies here in swarms. I find Formica in the Fusca group here as well, along with Aphaenogaster occidentalis. I find Camponotus semitestaceus and Camponotus vicinus queens just after dark here when they fly. You'll have to avoid stepping on them throughout certain trails as they can get really plentiful. Most of the Formica I see are on the road leading up to the trailhead and Miwok Stables, not in the valley itself.

 

Mount Tamalpais, near Mill Valley - All around great spot for ants. Most of it is undisturbed wilderness with hiking trails running through it. Good spot for Camponotus, amazing spot for Aphaenogaster occidentalis (lift up wet logs), decent Formica diversity, big Veromessor andrei trails, and I caught a Liomepotum occidentale queen there last year. You'll find plenty of Tapinoma sessile too, if you're into that. Despite having spent so much time up on the mountain, I was mostly photographing amphibians. I haven't had a good chance to really scope out ants up there, but I suspect there's a lot more than I've listed.

 

Edgewood Natural Preserve, near Redwood City - Veromessor andrei are the stars of this place. Instead of being the regular red & black variety that you find everywhere else in the bay area, the Veromessor andrei here are pure black. Good spot for Prenolepis imparis too, I caught a queen there in February. Camponotus vicinus and a few Formica species can be found here too. Unfortunately, a few areas are overrun with Linepithema humile.

 

Thanks for all the tips! You say tennessee valley is great for camponotus after dark...is it legal to be in the park at night? Isn't it scary too?

 

It's legal to be at Tennessee Valley after dark, and there are some campsites there as well. I see a few other night hikers there each time I go, and it's a popular place for people to get wasted during the equinoxes, apparently. It is scary, though! There are always coyotes howling very close by, and I have seen mountain lions and bobcats many times when I've hiked there. I'd never night hike there without a buddy, especially if I'm going to be bending down to look at ants all the time because big cats choose those moments to attack. That being said, it's unlikely that anything would jump you.

 

In terms of ants, it wasn't a warm day or a warm night when I saw massive Camponotus flights, and it hadn't rained, so I have no idea what triggered them to fly. I caught all my queens on the ~1/2 mile trail that goes up to the campsite, but there's a ton of Camponotus nests behind the old greenhouse and barn. The barn is super spooky though, and I don't have the nerve to go past it in the night.

 

Edit:

 

Also like Enderz said, PLEASE bring a good flashlight! I forget to every single time I go out anywhere at night, and end up using the really bad one on my phone. And as far as Camponotus queens go, I've only ever seen them running around on the floor.

Edited by sericultivist, May 23 2018 - 3:49 PM.

[sericultivist]

I'm going to be back from Oregon on Sunday, so I'll definitely head out this Memorial day and the day after to look for queens. If anyone wants to meet up let me know!

[sericultivist]

 

Dude you don’t even know wunderlich park lol. Huge formic and Camponotus workers EVERYWHERE. Also aphaenogaster and winter ants and tons of other stuff.

Wow, maybe I'll check that out lol. Whenever I looked at redwoods, all I found was aphaenogaster.

 

 

In really wet redwoods I never see anything, but I think chaparral/oak forests have more species diversity. In drier redwoods I'm sure Formica can make do.

[sirjordanncurtis]

I'm going to be back from Oregon on Sunday, so I'll definitely head out this Memorial day and the day after to look for queens. If anyone wants to meet up let me know!

 

Have you got any location in mind yet?

[sirjordanncurtis]

I think Aphaenogaster flew this morning because I saw alates climbing around a new pavement that was finished yesterday.

[YsTheAnt]

I think Aphaenogaster flew this morning because I saw alates climbing around a new pavement that was finished yesterday.

Probably Tetramorium, they will probably fly tomorrow in larger numbers.

[sericultivist]

Just waiting to see the thousands of queens we all know YsTheAnt caught today.