2467 replies to this topic

[dspdrew]

Aside from the random flights of smaller species in the foothills every time we have a heatwave, it's mostly just desert mating flights left now. Those queens are fairly easy to catch, since most don't fly until it rains pretty good, and they can be dug up for a few days after.

 

One of the exceptions is Camponotus fragilis. I have only caught those while they were running around at night, and not from founding chambers. Most are only around bushes, and they will fly with a very small amount of rain. The one time I caught Novomessor cockerelli, we never really saw any of them digging nests either; they all just seemed to vanish once the sun came up.

[kudofo]

Aside from the random flights of smaller species in the foothills every time we have a heatwave, it's mostly just desert mating flights left now. Those queens are fairly easy to catch, since most don't fly until it rains pretty good, and they can be dug up for a few days after.

 

One of the exceptions is Camponotus fragilis. I have only caught those while they were running around at night, and not from founding chambers. Most are only around bushes, and they will fly with a very small amount of rain. The one time I caught Novomessor cockerelli, we never really saw any of them digging nests either; they all just seemed to vanish once the sun came up.

 

I was thinking of making a few of those 5 gallon bucket traps with a brew funnel and one of those UV led flash lights. I just didn't want to miss out this year Just watch for rain next month ?

Edited by kudofo, June 11 2017 - 11:26 AM.

[Tmhernandez77]

Not sure what they are, but there are tons of colonies with alates swarming at the entrances in Wildwood Open Space (Thousand Oaks, CA). They are definitely red with a dark brown or black gaster, my guess is Pogonomyrmex californicus bicolor but I'm new to this, can't be sure.
 

 

Edited by Tmhernandez77, June 13 2017 - 8:21 AM.

[soulsynapse]

Pictures mate!

[Tmhernandez77]

Pictures mate!

 

Here's a couple pictures, I have a terrible phone, sorry about potato quality.

[soulsynapse]

Great photos!

[CallMeCraven]

I use to see those all the time as a kid growing up in Valley Center... just think of all the opportunities I missed as a kid living in SoCal who didn't care abut ants...

[soulsynapse]

I think they're solenopsis xyloni.

[dspdrew]

Yeah it's S. xyloni. As soon as it's warm enough at dusk, they should all fly.

[dspdrew]

I think I'm going to try my black light in the canyon tomorrow.

[Tmhernandez77]

Hmm, I'm not too interested in a Solenopsis xyloni, is there any chance they are polygenous?  I don't have any multi-queen colonies, would be a new experience for me.

[Tmhernandez77]

They are flying now! Too bad I brought 10 tubes, I could have got hundreds!!!

Edited by Tmhernandez77, June 14 2017 - 6:15 PM.

[Tmhernandez77]

Here's my haul from the Solenopsis xyloni flight the other day.  I think they are going to be flying for the next several days near me, I may try to get a few extra colonies to sell if anyone is interested.  I have 8 setup in individual test tubes, one test tube is an experiment with two queens.  The two queens are currently not aggressive towards eachother, I imagine that will change when the first workers come though.  I put a drop of sugar water in about 7 of the test tubes, just to make sure the queens have a bit of energy. 

All 10 queens

 

A couple closeups of an individual

 

No eggs yet, but it's only been a couple days so I'm not too worried.

 

Again, these were flying in Thousand Oaks, in Wildwood open space.  There was so many, when we got in our car we were picking alates off of our clothes.

[Tmhernandez77]

Fairly certain Solenopsis molesta were flying tonight in Thousand Oaks, CA at Cal Lutheran University.  They are tiny little yellow queens, the males were dark brown, almost black.  I'm still trying to confirm the ID.

[soulsynapse]

3+ inches rain forecast for end of next week, here's to hoping it stays true

[dspdrew]

3+ inches rain forecast for end of next week, here's to hoping it stays true

 

Where on Earth are you seeing this?

[soulsynapse]

 

3+ inches rain forecast for end of next week, here's to hoping it stays true

 

Where on Earth are you seeing this?

 

 

https://www.ventusky...c&t=20170708/00

[dspdrew]

 

 

3+ inches rain forecast for end of next week, here's to hoping it stays true

 

Where on Earth are you seeing this?

 

 

https://www.ventusky...c&t=20170708/00

 

 

That's pretty weird. Everything I'm looking at is showing a small chance of some rain in the mountains and deserts later next week. These of course are isolated thunderstorms, so I guess it is possible one could drop that much rain in a tiny area, but I doubt it. Hopefully we do get a decent storm from this moisture somewhere out there. It almost always happens around the first week of July.

[dspdrew]

At this point it's looking like a pretty good chance of a storm or two somewhere in the southern deserts like Borrego Springs some time around Sunday. Good thing I'm taking Wednesday off.

[nurbs]

Dunno how soaked the ground will be, but there has been a fast moving cloud of precipitation that started on the eastern side of the Salton Sea and has quickly moved its way up north into the main central road of Joshua Tree.

 

Need a confirmation of how wet the area will be, might go tonight.

 

 

 

UPDATE: 12:20

 

 

UPDATE 2, headings towards 29 palms:

 

 

UPDATE 3:

 

Might drive into that area tonight, do some night anting and stay til the next day. See what has flown. Could very well come back with nothing, but the rain looks heavy enough in some parts.

Edited by nurbs, July 5 2017 - 12:30 PM.