2467 replies to this topic

[PTAntFan]

Multiple spots around SoCal with warm temps today.  90 in Indio at10:45am. 

[dspdrew]

I was in California about 2 years ago just passing through. What I believe was Veromessor pergandei were flying and it hadn't rained in that area for two-three weeks at least. Although all i seen were drones?  Is it normal for them to fly without raining in that long?

 

I think some species will fly without rain, but the vast majority don't fly unless it rained very recently and the ground is still wet. As for V. pergandei specifically, I don't know for sure.

[Vendayn]

Solenopsis invicta had a tiny flight today. I saw a single random Solenopsis invicta queen on my porch. I was actually about to step on her, but then noticed something shiny crawling.

 

So I got her, then got workers from the nearby colony and put them together. The Solenopsis invicta here, I can go 30 minutes away and get alates and they get along just fine with the workers in the complex. even if the colony is nowhere close to the other nor even close to being connected. I'm guessing that is just normal though since they make large super colonies, like Argentine ants. Luckily, there is a Solenopsis invicta mound that popped up in the grass nearby, so I just had to actually just gather them on my porch since they too were exploring the plant pots. Since I think there is actually a law where I can't even pick up Solenopsis invicta and move them or something, so I stopped gathering Solenopsis invicta. But, free ants on my porch lol. Sure a huge change from last year, when the porch was invaded by the incredibly boring, vastly annoying Argentine ants. Now its Solenopsis invicta, which are even more annoying than Argentine ants (because of the sting), but vastly less boring. Been hoping for so many years to be surrounded by something other than the most boring ants on the entire planet, guess it finally happened.

 

I think the queen on my porch came from another colony though, as the mound only popped up the past month and its a young colony. The Solenopsis invicta seem to be expanding pretty quick here in Irvine, I'm seeing more and more of them. Though, I still see mostly Argentine ants and actually don't see very many Solenopsis invicta mounds inside the complex (except by my front door, which my parents are actually going to kill off as they don't want any ant invading their porch) and one single other Solenopsis invicta location in the complex. Otherwise, I see tons of alates but barely any actual mounds. I'm guessing they are in the foothills and since all the foothills are fenced off, I can't actually see them. The reason I think this, is because 30 minutes away, I findTONS of alates, but never found any actual mounds or even a single worker. But I dunno, because all the foothills are pretty dry in the summer and I'm pretty sure Solenopsis invicta need moisture. All the alates must be coming from somewhere though, but probably where I'm not actually allowed to go lol.

Edited by Vendayn, February 9 2017 - 7:11 PM.

[Mdrogun]

Solenopsis invicta had a tiny flight today. I saw a single random Solenopsis invicta queen on my porch. I was actually about to step on her, but then noticed something shiny crawling.

 

So I got her, then got workers from the nearby colony and put them together. The Solenopsis invicta here, I can go 30 minutes away and get workers and they get along just fine. even if the colony is nowhere close to the other nor even close to being connected. I'm guessing that is just normal though since they make large super colonies, like Argentine ants. Luckily, there is a Solenopsis invicta mound that popped up in the grass nearby, so I just had to actually just gather them on my porch since they too were exploring the plant pots. Since I think there is actually a law where I can't even pick up Solenopsis invicta and move them or something, so I stopped gathering Solenopsis invicta. But, free ants on my porch lol. Sure a huge change from last year, when the porch was invaded by the incredibly boring, vastly annoying Argentine ants. Now its Solenopsis invicta, which are more annoying than Argentine ants (because of the sting), but vastly less boring.

 

I think the queen on my porch came from another colony though, as the mound only popped up the past month and its a young colony. The Solenopsis invicta seem to be expanding pretty quick here in Irvine, I'm seeing more and more of them.

This sounds like behavior of the polygynous Solenopsis invicta variety. If this is true, that's awesome.

[Vendayn]

 

Solenopsis invicta had a tiny flight today. I saw a single random Solenopsis invicta queen on my porch. I was actually about to step on her, but then noticed something shiny crawling.

 

So I got her, then got workers from the nearby colony and put them together. The Solenopsis invicta here, I can go 30 minutes away and get workers and they get along just fine. even if the colony is nowhere close to the other nor even close to being connected. I'm guessing that is just normal though since they make large super colonies, like Argentine ants. Luckily, there is a Solenopsis invicta mound that popped up in the grass nearby, so I just had to actually just gather them on my porch since they too were exploring the plant pots. Since I think there is actually a law where I can't even pick up Solenopsis invicta and move them or something, so I stopped gathering Solenopsis invicta. But, free ants on my porch lol. Sure a huge change from last year, when the porch was invaded by the incredibly boring, vastly annoying Argentine ants. Now its Solenopsis invicta, which are more annoying than Argentine ants (because of the sting), but vastly less boring.

 

I think the queen on my porch came from another colony though, as the mound only popped up the past month and its a young colony. The Solenopsis invicta seem to be expanding pretty quick here in Irvine, I'm seeing more and more of them.

This sounds like behavior of the polygynous Solenopsis invicta variety. If this is true, that's awesome.

 

Yeah, I'm guessing that is the kind around here. Probably why they do so good against Argentine ants. Before I learned there was possibly a law where you can't move Solenopsis invicta, I experimented with taking workers from various locations. They all got along just fine (despite being far distances apart), but mostly it was the alates that I put together with random workers as that is what I find mostly. Honestly, no idea where most of them come from. The single colony by my front door (which like I said, going to be killed off. My dad is going to pump a ton of soapy water into their mound, my mom is actually VERY allergic to Solenopsis invicta). and the single mound by the market area inside the complex.

 

But, I always see tons of alates, and outside of the occasional mound that pops ups...its still vast majority controlled by Argentine ants. However, every year those tens of thousands of alates appear in all the pools and no idea where they come from. Unless Solenopsis invicta can persist in arid-land foothills that are dry in the Summer. I just thought they needed to live somewhere irrigated like Argentine ants.

 

Solenopsis invicta do however sure survive really well. The mound by the market area is surrounded by millions of Argentine ants, and yet persists every year. The Argentine ants can't actually seem to do much against them, only on the surface but never can get into their mound.

 

However, like I said, I guess there is a law where you can't even take workers of Solenopsis invicta though and move them anywhere, so I stopped doing that. But, my porch is fair game Though the colony won't be around long once its killed off. Plus my neighbor takes his dogs into that grass. Small dogs and Solenopsis invicta isn't a good combination. Still nice to see something pop up that isn't Argentine ants.

Edited by Vendayn, February 9 2017 - 7:24 PM.

[dspdrew]

It rained pretty good in the San Diego area yesterday. It's supposed to warm up quite a bit in the next few days as well. I'm thinking about maybe checking out the Palm Desert area this weekend.

 

[PTAntFan]

Ditto. Thinking Friday.

[SoySauce]

I'm gonna go to Palm Desert tomorrow and see if I can find a Pheidole queen for my boy.  If I'm successful early, I may head to the higher desert near Joshua Tree and see if I can find any Camponotus queens too.

[dspdrew]

Ditto. Thinking Friday.

 

Yeah, it's best to wait until there's a much better chance something has already flown. In the desert there's no need to catch them flying.

[Socalfireants]

 

Ditto. Thinking Friday.

 

Yeah, it's best to wait until there's a much better chance something has already flown. In the desert there's no need to catch them flying.

 

Drew, what do you mean when you say "in the desert there's no need to catch them while flying"? do you mean its better to wait after the nuptial flight to catch queens in their claustral chambers or while they're walking along the ground? 

[dspdrew]

 

 

Ditto. Thinking Friday.

 

Yeah, it's best to wait until there's a much better chance something has already flown. In the desert there's no need to catch them flying.

 

Drew, what do you mean when you say "in the desert theres no need to catch them while flying"? do you mean its better to wait after the nuptial flight to catch queens in their claustral chambers or while they're walking along the ground? 

 

 

Yeah, it's a lot easier to just dig them up after they fly. There's no need to pinpoint the exact moment they are flying. You don't have that luxury in most other places, with the exception of flipping rocks in more moist areas. But even then you're just hoping there's something there.

[PTAntFan]

Ok, so you're saying Saturday will be better than Friday because you think they will fly tomorrow?

[dspdrew]

I don't know if or when they will fly, but if you show up too early, you go home with nothing.

[SoySauce]

Well that's what happened to me yesterday. I went back out to Dillon Rd. And I didn't see one founding chamber dirt mound. It was too soon after our latest rain last Sunday. The rain washed away any remaining founding chamber dirt mounds and/or covered up their holes and even the large colonies were still repairing their mounds and tunnels.

I think it'll be a good few days before we see another flight and founding chambers again. The temp is supposed to drop a lot this weekend but it'll shoot up over 80 mid next week. I may try going again next fri.

[soulsynapse]

I hate going out and finding nothing

[dspdrew]

Well that's what happened to me yesterday. I went back out to Dillon Rd. And I didn't see one founding chamber dirt mound. It was too soon after our latest rain last Sunday. The rain washed away any remaining founding chamber dirt mounds and/or covered up their holes and even the large colonies were still repairing their mounds and tunnels.

I think it'll be a good few days before we see another flight and founding chambers again. The temp is supposed to drop a lot this weekend but it'll shoot up over 80 mid next week. I may try going again next fri.

 

Unless they fly today, they probably won't be flying there as a result from that last storm; everything will be too dry. You need heat within a few days after it rains. Another thing is most of what flies right now has probably already flown out there.

 

 

 

I hate going out and finding nothing

 

I've done plenty of that over the years.

[SoySauce]

Gotcha. It was still pretty moist out there yesterday and I even saw a few standing puddles too. The ground was definitely soft and moist especially in and near the washes. I also saw plenty of allates and drones too in some of the shallow holes I dug. Some of the larger hives looked small because diminished mounds.

[dspdrew]

Oh okay, then yeah it might still be possible to get another mating flight of something out there soon. I don't think that area really got much of any rain from that last storm. Most of it was further south, closer to San Diego.

[SoySauce]

Hmmm. It seemed like a decent amount fell to me. Since I wasn't having any luck, I decided to go back to where my son and I were successful on our last outing and I found some of the holes we dug then, but they seemed melted down from the recent rain. In any event, my son was pretty bummed I didn't come home w a Pheidole queen, let alone being completely skunked.

On a side note, a couple of the Vermessor we caught on our last outing have already laid some eggs.

Edited by SoySauce, March 3 2017 - 12:14 PM.

[PTAntFan]

Well that's what happened to me yesterday. I went back out to Dillon Rd. And I didn't see one founding chamber dirt mound. It was too soon after our latest rain last Sunday. The rain washed away any remaining founding chamber dirt mounds and/or covered up their holes and even the large colonies were still repairing their mounds and tunnels.

I think it'll be a good few days before we see another flight and founding chambers again. The temp is supposed to drop a lot this weekend but it'll shoot up over 80 mid next week. I may try going again next fri.

What part of Dillion road?