4 replies to this topic

[CNewton]

I notice a little bit of hostility toward Myrmica sp. When I posted about losing my Myrmica queens over the winter, it was "just Myrmica". I'm not upset! Just wondering what I'm missing.

 

I think our local Myrmica are kind of interesting. Medium sized ants with larger colonies that grow fairly quick. I just found a Myrmica rubra colony in my yard, and though they are invasive, I'm excited to collect some queens this summer. They have such an amazing color, especially comparing to local ants ( you know, all the black ones...).

 

Is there a reason people might get a little turned off from Myrmica, or am I reading into this too much?

[VoidElecent]

I think you may be reading into this too much. I, at least, don't see any problems with Myrmica. In fact, half of the relatively large colonies I have actually decided to keep are Myrmica. Granted, some species (e.g. M. incompleta) can be more interesting to keep than invasives like M. rubra, but it's still an all-around wonderful genus of ants, in my opinion. They remind me of mild amalgamations of Pogonomyrmex and Tetramorium.

[gcsnelling]

I think the biggest issue with Myrmica is the difficulty in identifying the species. Morphologically they are a rather mundane bunch.

Edited by gcsnelling, May 4 2018 - 2:34 PM.

[nurbs]

You must be talking about Solenopsis invicta.

 

Can you link an example on this forum with the hostility?

[YsTheAnt]

I personally love native myrmica, seem really fascinating. Others may react the way they due because:

-Some myrmica species are overabundant, such as M. Rubra

-Myrmica queens can easily be replaced by flipping over a rock or two and collecting a few with some workers

-Myrmica can be devasting to the environment, so for some it may look similar to losing a Solenopsis invicta queen in Houston, no big deal, they're everywhere

Honestly though, you might just be looking at it differently than others. Myrmica may be common in other people's areas, making them feel like myrmica is less valuable, prompting a "just myrmica" response. Either way, I am sorry for the loss of your queens . If you try flipping over rocks, maybe even digging into a mature nest, I'm sure it would be fairly easy to get a new M. rubra queen (or queens) though. Good luck!

Edited by YsTheAnt, May 4 2018 - 9:49 PM.