2467 replies to this topic

[Enderz]

So does anyone think they'll be any good flights anywhere in SoCal, I want to go anting sometime this weekend. Did victorville get some good rain?

It is looking like the victorville should be viable.

Edited by EnderzATwar411, May 2 2018 - 6:05 PM.

[dspdrew]

The moderate heatwave they're forecasting for this weekend might bring some mating flights to the mountains and canyons. The rain that the high desert got along with the forecast heatwave for this weekend might bring some flights there too. I'm just not sure what might be flying this time of the year. We're right in between the time that the late winter ants fly, and the early summer ants fly in the desert. The desert doesn't usually get a lot of storms like this in May or June.

 

I'll be going out around the Barstow area and maybe even out around Nipton. I don't expect to find anything, but it will be interesting to see if I do. I need to bring some more desert dirt home anyways.

[Enderz]

The moderate heatwave they're forecasting for this weekend might bring some mating flights to the mountains and canyons. The rain that the high desert got along with the forecast heatwave for this weekend might bring some flights there too. I'm just not sure what might be flying this time of the year. We're right in between the time that the late winter ants fly, and the early summer ants fly in the desert. The desert doesn't usually get a lot of storms like this in May or June.

 

I'll be going out around the Barstow area and maybe even out around Nipton. I don't expect to find anything, but it will be interesting to see if I do. I need to bring some more desert dirt home anyways.

Drew, when are you planning to head to Barstow?

[dspdrew]

Friday night.

[Scrixx]

Just got back from the foothills around Lytle Creek. Forecast said it would be 68 at sunset and around 65 at 8 but it was 60 at the place I visited. Too cold so I packed it up right away. 

 

Will be heading up into the desert tomorrow in the morning. Debating staying until night time and just study while I'm there. Anyone know a place I can hang out near Barstow? Think a starbucks will let me stay like 6 hours? 

[AntsCalifornia]

Got the weird males with the red thorax/head and black gasters flying again. Really wish I could get a queen of this sp to identify them.

[LC3]

Got the weird males with the red thorax/head and black gasters flying again. Really wish I could get a queen of this sp to identify them.

You can still post an ID thread with males, even if the chance of getting the right answer is much lower. Unless you have absurdly good photos.

Edited by LC3, May 3 2018 - 9:09 PM.

[dspdrew]

Just got back from the foothills around Lytle Creek. Forecast said it would be 68 at sunset and around 65 at 8 but it was 60 at the place I visited. Too cold so I packed it up right away. 

 

Will be heading up into the desert tomorrow in the morning. Debating staying until night time and just study while I'm there. Anyone know a place I can hang out near Barstow? Think a starbucks will let me stay like 6 hours? 

 

I don't see why not. There's lots of places in Barstow.

 

 

Got the weird males with the red thorax/head and black gasters flying again. Really wish I could get a queen of this sp to identify them.

 

Sounds like maybe Dorymyrmex bicolor. That's nurbs' favorite.

 

Edit: Actually if it's males, then I don't know.

 

Edit:

 

Actually, now that I think about it, I know what males are red and black and live in the local foothills and mountains.

 

Is it these?

 

 

Edited by dspdrew, May 4 2018 - 3:15 AM.

[Scrixx]

Reporting in to save people the trip. I hit Helendale, Lenwood, Cajun junction, a couple spots around Lytle Creek, and Old waterman canyon road. Found nada. Spent about 35$ in gas. Walked around each spot for about 20-40 minutes. 

 

I couldn't find the road to the main spot on the radar for Helendale so that doesn't really count but I did spent some time checking around where the water drains. Lenwood and Helendale supposedly got 0.5 inches of rain but the surface was dry except for the low points in the ground and town. Digging under the dirt showed moist dirt but nowhere near wet enough. 

 

The Lytle creek/Cajun junction played with my heart, found flying things that looked like queens but they were actually solitary wasps. 

Edited by Scrixx, May 4 2018 - 12:46 PM.

[nurbs]

 

 

 

Sounds like maybe Dorymyrmex bicolor. That's nurbs' favorite.

 

 

 

Only the most amazing ant in the Universe.

[nurbs]

Reporting in to save people the trip. I hit Helendale, Lenwood, Cajun junction, a couple spots around Lytle Creek, and Old waterman canyon road. Found nada. Spent about 35$ in gas. Walked around each spot for about 20-40 minutes. 

 

I couldn't find the road to the main spot on the radar for Helendale so that doesn't really count but I did spent some time checking around where the water drains. Lenwood and Helendale supposedly got 0.5 inches of rain but the surface was dry except for the low points in the ground and town. Digging under the dirt showed moist dirt but nowhere near wet enough. 

 

The Lytle creek/Cajun junction played with my heart, found flying things that looked like queens but they were actually solitary wasps. 

 

 

 

Thanks for the report, Scrixx. But keep in mind you must look at the rainfall totals within the week and see where things got hit the hardest. The area you searched is circled in red, only .1 inches.

 

I will be hitting up the green spots, where it got .75 to 1 inch of rain. The area at Shoshone is also a new spot for us, so it will be interesting to see what we find.

 

EDIT:
Also keep in mind not just to look at rainfall totals. Once you see a spot with heavy rain, check the weather forecast and see if it heats up the following days. That is what will trigger flights. If you look at the map, the mountains also got rain (but they always do), and it's still cold up up there, and as we know the Camponotus at the lower elevations near the mountains have already flown. It is why we are hitting up the desert areas in the green spots. 

 

Not sure what we'll find, honestly. We are inbetween the early flyers and the summer monsoon flights. Could come back with just Dorymyrmex, which as we know is super rare and amazing. I would be so happy and not rage at all.

 

 

Edited by nurbs, May 4 2018 - 1:47 PM.

[Scrixx]

 

Reporting in to save people the trip. I hit Helendale, Lenwood, Cajun junction, a couple spots around Lytle Creek, and Old waterman canyon road. Found nada. Spent about 35$ in gas. Walked around each spot for about 20-40 minutes. 

 

I couldn't find the road to the main spot on the radar for Helendale so that doesn't really count but I did spent some time checking around where the water drains. Lenwood and Helendale supposedly got 0.5 inches of rain but the surface was dry except for the low points in the ground and town. Digging under the dirt showed moist dirt but nowhere near wet enough. 

 

The Lytle creek/Cajun junction played with my heart, found flying things that looked like queens but they were actually solitary wasps. 

 

 

 

Thanks for the report, Scrixx. But keep in mind you must look at the rainfall totals within the week and see where things got hit the hardest. The area you searched is circled in red, only .1 inches.

 

I will be hitting up the green spots, where it got .75 to 1 inch of rain. The area at Shoshone is also a new spot for us, so it will be interesting to see what we find.

 

EDIT:
Also keep in mind not just to look at rainfall totals. Once you see a spot with heavy rain, check the weather forecast and see if it heats up the following days. That is what will trigger flights. If you look at the map, the mountains also got rain (but they always do), and it's still cold up up there, and as we know the Camponotus at the lower elevations near the mountains have already flown. It is why we are hitting up the desert areas in the green spots. 

 

Not sure what we'll find, honestly. We are inbetween the early flyers and the summer monsoon flights. Could come back with just Dorymyrmex, which as we know is super rare and amazing. I would be so happy and not rage at all.

 

 

 

 

Dang, I was using another map. The areas I went to showed up as 0.5 inches   Maybe I'll stick to the one you're using. Good luck and thanks for the tips!

http://www.iweathern...urs-to-72-hours

[Enderz]

Oh, too bad Scrixx. At least I don't feel horrible about missing out now, good luck to you nurbs

[AntsCalifornia]

I don't really care to ID them until I actually have a queen, but here's the male if you guys are interested. I just wanted to put out there that something was flying. I did the best I could with my phone and macro lens. I think they'll fly in much larger numbers tonight, so I'm going to look for a queen again tonight. 

(It's a little hard to tell, but the head/thorax is bright red, and the gaster is a shiny black. It reminds me of solenopsis.)

Edit: If I find some more tonight, I'll try to use a microscope to take a picture, but it is a toy microscope so I don't know how well it will work.

Edited by AntsCalifornia, May 4 2018 - 3:42 PM.

[AntsCalifornia]

There's flights of what appears to be S. invicta going on down here, so maybe another species is flying as well. Here's a picture of what i got in the pool.

 

Edited by AntsCalifornia, May 4 2018 - 4:34 PM.

[dspdrew]

Could come back with just Dorymyrmex, which as we know is super rare and amazing. I would be so happy and not rage at all.

 

 

I'm not expecting to find anything. It's crazy to think I'm driving this far just to satisfy my curiosity. I also want to check out that Tecopa Natural Hot Spring; it looks pretty interesting how it creates a river in the middle of the desert. Seems like it might be sort of a unique habitat there.

[soulsynapse]

Anybody been out near Trabuco canyon yet? Hoping to find those ocreatus or whatever we're calling them. I believe the only queens we've found of these have been in early June, correct? I'm thinking it's still too soon.

Edited by soulsynapse, May 4 2018 - 5:30 PM.

[nurbs]

Anybody been out near Trabuco canyon yet? Hoping to find those ocreatus or whatever we're calling them. I believe the only queens we've found of these have been in early June, correct? I'm thinking it's still too soon.

 

Purely mythical, a figment of Drew's imagination. They are most likely Vicinus. If he actually does find an Ocreatus queen at Trabuco, I'll eat a Dorymyrmex.

[Enderz]

 

Anybody been out near Trabuco canyon yet? Hoping to find those ocreatus or whatever we're calling them. I believe the only queens we've found of these have been in early June, correct? I'm thinking it's still too soon.

 

Purely mythical, a figment of Drew's imagination. They are most likely Vicinus. If he actually does find an Ocreatus queen at Trabuco, I'll eat a Dorymyrmex.

 

I would like to see you do that nurbs

[SirAnticus]

So any luck out in Barstow. I'll be heading out today.