Easter day I was Hiding Eggs for the Kids and I lifted up a hollow Bunny in the garden and voila. I saw workers egg and was like woah this is so cool. Then I noticed a very large ant and was lik omg is that a queen!!! Then i went into frantic cath mode and my girlfriend had to explain my secret (Ants Canada Obsession) to everyone else hiding eggs.
After a few weeks in this formicarium and quick diy outworld here are some pix from the colony. I will do my best to answer all questions.
1. Location of collection (ie: park/area, city/town, state/province, country).
Sacramento, California. Home garden.
2. Date of collection (more important for ID's of queens).
Easter 2019
3. Habitat of collection (ie: desert scrub, oak forest, riparian, etc.).
inside a hollowstone bunny. Against the sides all the way up. Bunny was inside of an old unused garden that was bark and soil.
4. Length (to the nearest millimeter or 1/16th of an inch.) Millimeters is preferred. Length is measured from the tip of the head to the tip of the gaster, excluding antennae, legs and stingers. Do not estimate, use a ruler! No matter how good you think you are at guessing the length of something, it's amazing how far off you can be sometimes.
No Idea, but seems small. the walls in the pix are an AC tetramorium Nes if that helps.
5. Coloration, hue, pattern and texture (ie: dark redish-orange head, velvet-like gaster, translucent, hairy/bald, shiny/dull, etc.). Be as specific as possible, and you can use the diagram below if you need it.
Black ants. the oung ones are light brown/golden. the queen has slightly golden rings around her gaqster, possible small hairs at the rings.
6. Distinguishing characteristics (ie: one petiole node/two petiole nodes, length and orientation of any spines or bumps on the thorax or waist, head shape, eye size, shape of mandibles, number of antennal segments, etc.)
three distinct segments. when attacking then bring their gaster to the target.
7. Anything else distinctive (ie: odor, behavior, characteristics relative to others in the colony, etc.).
8. Nest description (if you can find the nest, and you're sure it belongs to the ant you collected) (ie: rotted log, volcano-shaped mound of coarse gavel 10cm in diameter, etc.).
see habitat of collection
9. Nuptial flight time and date (if you witnessed the ant or it's colony having a nuptial flight or caught an alate you are confident was flying that day or time)
N/A
10 . Post the clearest pictures possible of the top, side, and face of the ant in question, and if possible, their nest and the habitat they were collected in.
