2467 replies to this topic

[dspdrew]

I'm going to be posting any upcoming "anting" trip I have planned here, so that anyone who wants to, can meet up with us.

 

The desert got quite a bit of rain Sunday and Monday, and now it's starting to warm up out there. If anything has flown, there should be plenty founding chambers. I'll be going tomorrow (Saturday 3-6-2015), but because of a few issues, it looks like it's going to be a solo mission. If any of the many So Cal people want to go, let me know.

 

Edit: I renamed this topic so I can use this for all the anting trips I go on this season.

Edited by dspdrew, March 10 2015 - 2:15 PM.

[Vendayn]

That sounds fun. I never make it to the desert because I can't drive. I always want to go out there and find stuff. And by tomorrow it should actually be the 7th as today is the 6th

 

But, while I AM 26 , I dunno how well that would go with my parents lol. That does sound fun though.

 

Dunno if you like me enough for me to come though My social skills are pretty bad and I dunno if I'm too annoying sometimes or whatever. Generally in real life I am REALLY quiet. Like people forget I'm even there sometimes lol. Plus, my anting stuff is kinda amateur, but it works. I did upgrade to a shovel (a really nice one too, it has a rubber handle I think. Before I used spoons (hey, it worked), cause I was using shovels with wooden sticks and even the expensive wooden ones broke easily). But in any case...all I have is bottles and stuff to keep ants in. I do have some tubing though. Pretty amateur stuff lol, I don't really have money to go out buying things all the time so I make do.

But, that sounds more fun than what my plan tomorrow was going to be lol.

[dspdrew]

I'm actually going to be stopping at both my parent's and brother's place on the way back now, so whoever goes would have to drive and meet up somewhere between the 15 freeway and the desert.

[Gregory2455]

I would... but not being able to drive yet and all...

[dspdrew]

I found a whole bunch of nothing.

[LAnt]

that's the worst fear I have.

[dspdrew]

That's why I have to sell colonies. Something has to pay for the 100 dollars in gas I waste every time I go and find nothing.

[kellakk]

I didn't find any founding chambers either where I camped in Mecca Hills.  I did see one Myrmecocystus sp. colony swarming, but none of the alates flew.  There were also alates near the surface in other Myrmecocystus sp. nests and some in Veromessor pergandei nests.

 

Here's a video I took of the Myrmecocystus nest: 

Edited by kellakk, March 8 2015 - 6:17 PM.

[Gregory2455]

Woah are you sure those are Myrmecocystus?

[kellakk]

Yeah they looked exactly like the ones from Drew's desert trip thread.  They had large gasters and their nest entrance was a volcano-like mound.

[dspdrew]

Can you show me exactly which ones those looked like? I'm surprised those are swarming right now.

[kellakk]

They were the second, larger species in this thread. Like I said before, this was the only one swarming but I saw alates near the surface in several other nests.

[dspdrew]

These?

 

 

 

Or These?

 

[kellakk]

The first one.

 

At night there were a bunch of Pheidole cf. gilvescens wandering around, and even males flying. I didn't find a single nest, queen, or founding chamber though.

[dspdrew]

Hmm.. interesting. I wonder if those Myrmecocystus you saw, and the ones on my thread are M. mimicus.

[kellakk]

I collected a couple female alates wandering away from the nest just so I wouldn't go home empty-handed. If they would be helpful for ID purposes, you can take them.

[dspdrew]

Oh cool. Can you put one in alcohol?

[Gregory2455]

Please jut call them Pheidole sp. - Gilvescens do not even make alate brood until mid summer.

[dspdrew]

The first one.

 

At night there were a bunch of Pheidole cf. gilvescens wandering around, and even males flying. I didn't find a single nest, queen, or founding chamber though.

 

How did you know the males were Pheidole cf. gilvescens?

[kellakk]

I didn't.  The "cf" means I thought they were that species.  They were large for Pheidole with long, skinny legs, dark gaster and light rest-of-the-body.  Now that I look back, that description fits Pheidole desertorum much better.