24 replies to this topic

[StayLoki]

1. Location (on a map) of collection: NY
2. Date of collection: 3.1.18
3. Habitat of collection: grass field after rain..seemed to be just her and~15 others 4inches down..no eggs, no larvae
4. Length (from head to gaster): less than 2cm??
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: light brown? Wings are grey..dark
6. Distinguishing characteristics:
7. Distinguishing behavior:
8. Nest description: under grass root layer...noticed hole/disturbed soil and worker on top.. Clay like dirt. Very saturated.

9. Nuptial flight time and date: not sure if she's even flown. Its so early in the year

[TennesseeAnts]

Prenolepis imperis. These only function in cold temperatures. Their common name is the Winter Ant. You are lucky! I'm still searching!

[StayLoki]

Omg thank you!!! That's her !! And the workers have these like clear abdomans after gorging..so cool to see THANKS SO MUCH

[TennesseeAnts]

No prob! You should make a journal! Not many P. imperis journals.

[StayLoki]

I'm deff going too!! TY .. I'm gonna get her in a testube tomorrow after work so I can get her more comfortable and get some better pictures of the crew.. It was totally random finding her, I'm super new..spotted the soil disturbance walking my dog and went back not even expecting to find one or do anything right. Lol to be honest I thought I had l.flavus but its totally not the right time of year and the winter ant makes since!
Its going to snow 2mar so ill be keeping her for a bit anyway and we'll have to see what happens.
Guess I have some more researching to do - thank you for ur help and so fast too!! You guys are great 👍

[TennesseeAnts]

You are welcome! Also, since these ants don't hibernate in winter, they have to "hibernate" in summer in a warm place.

[StayLoki]

Seeeeriously? O man thank you. I have some researching to do if I'm going to keep her around. Thank you for the heads up!!!

[StayLoki]

*random*
Wow I could not have found a cooler ant species. I was worried about freezing my ants out in the summer with my a.c. and it seems I found the perfect ants for me.
Also, I noticed their swollen abdomens after I placed in honey but had no idea about the replete ants and that I found false honeypot ants.
I really hope I can keep this little lady alive..they are just so cool.
*gushing* 😎

Edited: she hates me so far.

Edited by StayLoki, March 1 2018 - 7:37 PM.

[AnthonyP163]

They do hibernate in winter.

[TennesseeAnts]

They do hibernate in winter.

Prenolepis?

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, March 1 2018 - 7:50 PM.

[AnthonyP163]

Yes.

[TennesseeAnts]

Are you sure?

[AnthonyP163]

Yes. They'll come out when other ants will not, but for the parts of winter that get below freezing you will not see these ants as they are hibernating.

[TennesseeAnts]

Well, anything below 0 degrees F is too cold for ants. But I thought Prenolepis went through through summer and parts of autumn without being active. Hence the name Winter Ants.

Edited by Ant_Dude2908, March 1 2018 - 7:57 PM.

[StayLoki]

Yea but the more I think about it its warm inside. She's up on the outside of the container and there's condensation in there ant hill. I wanna get her in a test tube and I need to store them in a cooler place... I dug them up outside it was like 40°.. Either way I'm gonna do my best. Ill keep u guys posted. Probably gonna start a thread if she seems to be doing well. Otherwise ill let them go after the snow breaks (I'm in ny, supposed to get snow the next few days is all)

[VoidElecent]

Prenolepis imparis (not "imperis"), are typically more active than most species in the cold, but undergo a classic state of diapause in summer known as "estivation". This isn't to say they won't hibernate in winter months; there are very few invertebrates that can actually withstand sub-freezing temperatures, and winter ants are by no means an exception. A great deal of this has to do with weather; in southern climates, for example, you might expect more activity from P. imparis in winter when the conditions are significantly less extreme than some northern states.

Edited by VoidElecent, March 2 2018 - 8:51 AM.

[StayLoki]

I'm sure below freezing they're hibernating like any ants...nobody sees ants crawling around in the winter! What antdude is trying to say is unlike other ants that like warmer weather, and u need to be mindful of cooler temps, winter ants avoid the heat in the summer....and I probably have it too hot for them right now bringing them inside just saying... The house is like 70? Is all

Edited by StayLoki, March 1 2018 - 8:05 PM.

[StayLoki]

@Anthony. Think about it. In the winter, temps in MY HOUSE are not going to drop below freezing. I'm going to be combating the cold and the ants will probably come out more. In the summer my ants hate the heat and I need to hibernate them then, unlike others over the winter from what I've gathered. Lol they're winter ants because they like the cold . but I'm sure they still don't come out when there's snow on the ground. But they will in my house and ill get to enjoy them.

Edited by StayLoki, March 1 2018 - 8:21 PM.

[Jonathan21700]

It's weird how this NA species flies when the temps hit 20 C in any month after December. Here in Europe P. nitens no matter how warm it gets they wait until the end of March and the first half of April.

Edited by Jonathan21700, March 2 2018 - 8:09 AM.

[Jadeninja9]

Yes. They'll come out when other ants will not, but for the parts of winter that get below freezing you will not see these ants as they are hibernating.

Their nests can be as deep as 6 meters below ground. I'm sure that during these temperatures they go deeper into the nest where its warm instead of hibernating.