108 replies to this topic

[AnthonyP163]

7/18/19

 

Yesterday, the Formica montana had a long trail consisting of brood, workers, and reproductives. I saw at least four queens, and that's just the ones that I observed. They seem to be moving (or maybe setting up another nest) in my neighbors yard. I will be disappointed if they move, because this journal and what I do on it is to set up a fruitful area for natives such as themselves. However, the Lasius neoniger have been pretty active at the same tree, and if the Formica leave then I know their place will be filled by more natives. 

 

Here's a video of one of the queens moving, they look very cool: 

 

I have transplanted some thistles into some of my setups and I wish to study the Uroleucon sonchii, which are prevelant on the thistles by the pond (which can stay until I have something to replace them). I am probably going to plant some goldenrod either this year or some seeds for next year. 

 

 

Put one in my captive Tetramorium setup: 

[ANTdrew]

Wow! I have 8/12 of these native beauties.
I’m missing 5, 10, 11, and 12 from the list.
I got a photo for you today of Heliopsis COVERED with aphids at a pollinator garden I visited.

Edited by ANTdrew, July 18 2019 - 3:38 PM.

[ANTdrew]

Here's that photo I promised, Anthony. This is in a pollinator garden adjacent to a nature center. Check out these aphids!

[AnthonyP163]

 

 

Here's that photo I promised, Anthony. This is in a pollinator garden adjacent to a nature center. Check out these aphids!

 

They look awesome, were any ants tending them?

[ANTdrew]

Ugh. I forget to even really stop and observe for ants. Crematogaster tend the aphids on my Heliopsis, though.

[AnthonyP163]

7/25/19

 

Today, some of the seeds that I ordered got here. I will plant some soon but I plan to wait until next spring for most of the seeds, and maybe refrigerate the ones that I don't plant. 

 

The Formica montana that were moving have pretty much moved away. I see an obscure nest entrance, and a few workers climbing the tree. There's a different colony which is in the middle of the yard in the grass. This colony, I discovered, is separate from the colony at the tree, and were also the same colony with the workers foraging at the pond. This colony is at least of good size, and will definitely compete with the Tetramorium cf. tsushimae which I have found at the pond. Currently, I have been unable to distinguish colonies of T. tsushimae from T. immigrans because I cannot find out exactly how aside from color. I walked through some of the thistles at the pond, and literally had aphids all over me. The F. montana scale the leaves, probably soaking up anything the aphids have left since I have seen them with very bloated gasters. 

 

In the next update, I'll take a picture of the pond and all the plants. I'm hoping to show the garden as well, and that includes the milkweed. 

[AnthonyP163]

7/31/19

 

I have, of course, been flooding the Tetramorium. The other day, I flooded a part of the colony and they had a few alates. Their presence in my garden and around the pond has definitely gone down, from seeing wars on the pavement beside the pond to having the Formica montana run across it. I have seen a lot more workers by the pond, but there's so many sow-thistles and so much Uroleucon sonchii on them that the stems look brown with aphids. I am going to clear room to plant some of the seeds that I have gotten. 

 

I've noticed Aphis nerii on some of the milkweed plants, and a green species of aphid which I will soon try to identify. I saw a Formica montana worker on a milkweed today, which is a really good sign! The Lasius by the tree have been foraging and I saw some of them dragging Tetramorium bodies, but also vice versa. Observing these ants in my yard so much has really highlighted how plants and aphids are pretty much what these ants need to survive. 

 

Here's some aphids that the Tetramorium tend. I want to get rid of them but am going to figure out a way to give them to my captive colony.

 

Here's some aphids that the Formica montana were inspecting. 

 

The pond - which will hopefully change in the next update.

 

Here's the Formica montana mound, which is in the middle of the grass. This is probably good, because there's less Tetramorium over there. 

 

Formica montana worker foraging where I've never seen it before

[ANTdrew]

Nice progress! What kind of seeds did you pick up?
I suggest weed-whacking the thistles then covering them with newspapers for a few weeks to smother them. Then you could actually uncover the patch a while to let any remaining weed seeds to germinate at which point I would smother those again. This way you’ll get a pretty clear patch for your desired plants.

[AnthonyP163]

Nice progress! What kind of seeds did you pick up?
I suggest weed-whacking the thistles then covering them with newspapers for a few weeks to smother them. Then you could actually uncover the patch a while to let any remaining weed seeds to germinate at which point I would smother those again. This way you’ll get a pretty clear patch for your desired plants.

3/4 of the seeds I ordered are here, and they are two different species of goldenrod, as well as partridge pea seeds. 

[ANTdrew]

Excellent!

[ANTdrew]

Hey- was thinking today that I could mail you a lot of free seeds if you’re interested. My garden will probably be destroyed within a year, so at least I can help pass on some part of it.

[AnthonyP163]

Hey- was thinking today that I could mail you a lot of free seeds if you’re interested. My garden will probably be destroyed within a year, so at least I can help pass on some part of it.

That would be cool. I don't know if I am going to be able to get everything to grow but I will definitely try.

[AnthonyP163]

8/7/19

 

I've been observing how the Formica montana now have over a dozen workers foraging the side of the pond and the pavement (probably more than than throughout the pond area), and I realized there's still a lot of Tetramorium there. I flooded a big part of the colony there. While observing, I found a Camponotus pennsylvanicus worker. I have seen a few of them at the pond but this one was physogastric and much larger. 

 

Here's the Camponotus pennsylvanicus worker: 

 

The Formica montana have been going across the pavement and briefly occupied the plants with aphids that some Tetramorium sp. had previously tended. I don't think it will be long before they're foraging on the milkweed. The Tetramorium live around the bricks and under the hose area. 

 

Here's a picture of the plants with the Aphis asclepiadis that the Tetramorium tend: 

 

I was observing the Formica montana when I noticed a few orange Polyergus workers running among a few of them. These workers never actually seemed to come in contact with the workers, and when they did I couldn't tell if it was hostile. I was almost convinced that the Formica montana colony was really a Polyergus breviceps colony because there were several workers around the mound and they didn't seem to be getting attacked. However, as soon as one moved some dirt by the entrance and found a piece of pupae, dozens of workers came surging out of the entrance and attacked two Polyergus breviceps workers. Perhaps killing these workers is how some colonies avoid being raided. 

 

Here's some pictures and videos: 

Notice their defensive posture in the below photo.

 

 

I have been really focused on attacking the Tetramorium that are around the garden (including the milkeed). I'll flood them almost every day, as they often bring a lot of their colony to the surface. Recently, they haven't been bringing as much up. Here's some pictures of the garden and milkweed. 

 

 

 

I'm going to try some other strategies of getting rid of the invasives soon. I've noticed, however, that overall the increase in vegetation and harassment of the Tetramorium has been positive for diversity in the yard. Boiling water seems to be the most effective because it is sure to quickly kill them. 

 

In the back of the yard, we have a woodpile with multiple Camponotus species living in it. I recently found some of the Crematogaster that might also live in it, I haven't seen them in a long time so finding a few workers was exciting. 

 

 

I am planting some of the native plant seeds I've ordered, others will be kept for spring. 

[ForestDragon]

Tetramorium are not truly invasives but they are able to fill certain niches that other ants can't occupy due to human activity

[AnthonyP163]

Tetramorium are not truly invasives but they are able to fill certain niches that other ants can't occupy due to human activity

This is, in most cases, false.

 

Please refer to the post gcsnelling made on the 2nd page of this topic. 

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=IHsuI70SIs8

 

Those Formica were perfectly able to fill the "certain niche". 

Edited by AnthonyP163, August 9 2019 - 12:35 AM.

[ANTdrew]

The term invasive usually refers to non-native species that have invaded new areas where they were not present before. This is usually due to humans moving them about purposefully or accidentally. They fill certain niches, but still compete with and often displace native species.

Edited by ANTdrew, August 9 2019 - 12:33 PM.

[disasterants]

you could wild capture the colonie(s) since they're fun ants to keep

[Mdrogun]

Tetramorium are not truly invasives but they are able to fill certain niches that other ants can't occupy due to human activity

This is an idea spread by Antscanada that holds no actual ground. I know he often cites how they've been here for such a long time, they've become naturalized. This is absolutely not the case. When you go outside and the most common species seen is one not native to the entire continent, it's invasive. Think about the millions, if not billions, of native colonies they've prevented from existing. This is absolutely invasive behavior.

[AntsDakota]

I honestly have never seen T. immigrans displace any native species. In my friend's yard, a colony exists within a few feet of a Formica cf. subaenescens colony, and both are thriving. Workers from the Formica colony even often walk right over the Tetramorium mounds, and neither give each other a second thought.

[AnthonyP163]

I honestly have never seen T. immigrans displace any native species. In my friend's yard, a colony exists within a few feet of a Formica cf. subaenescens colony, and both are thriving. Workers from the Formica colony even often walk right over the Tetramorium mounds, and neither give each other a second thought.

This is pretty common is partly rural areas. In an area that's less disturbed, there's less Tetramorium or they're not very dominant in the area. I see this in some forests pretty often. Places like suburbs, towns and cities are where they are a larger threat to the few native species that remain. 

 

Think, as well, that any bugs these invasive Tetramorium hunt is less food for the nearby Formica colony.