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Black-Lighting Public Journal


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143 replies to this topic

#81 Offline NickAnter - Posted July 2 2019 - 6:40 AM

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Congrats on the P. morrisii, they are super cool looking.  Hopefully they are both fertile! I caught over thirty S. molestas last night, but kept one, the one I saw mate, because the other ones were likely infertile.  I also saw quite a few Brachymyrmex males.  And of course June bugs. 


Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#82 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted July 2 2019 - 6:45 AM

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Congrats on the P. morrisii, they are super cool looking. Hopefully they are both fertile! I caught over thirty S. molestas last night, but kept one, the one I saw mate, because the other ones were likely infertile. I also saw quite a few Brachymyrmex males. And of course June bugs.


Thanks! Congrats on the fertile solenopsis queen (mine were likely not fertile :lol:). As for the June bugs, I woke up this morning and the water “pit” that I used as a trap was literally covered with a thin film of bugs :lol:.

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#83 Offline ANTdrew - Posted July 2 2019 - 8:38 AM

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Really interesting you would notice that too about Tetramorium. I’ve had several large colonies in my yard die off and seen way less queens. I wonder what’s up?
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#84 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted July 2 2019 - 8:48 AM

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I have noticed this too. Less and less Tetramorium immagrans queens each year, while Brachyponera chinensis and Solenopsis invicta numbers sky rocket... There are now ZERO Tetramorium immagrans nests in my small neighborhood... Last year there was a measly two...
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#85 Offline NickAnter - Posted July 3 2019 - 6:01 AM

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Congrats on the P. morrisii, they are super cool looking. Hopefully they are both fertile! I caught over thirty S. molestas last night, but kept one, the one I saw mate, because the other ones were likely infertile. I also saw quite a few Brachymyrmex males. And of course June bugs.

Thanks! Congrats on the fertile solenopsis queen (mine were likely not fertile :lol:). As for the June bugs, I woke up this morning and the water “pit” that I used as a trap was literally covered with a thin film of bugs :lol:.
I just squish the junebugs.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#86 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted July 3 2019 - 7:46 AM

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I have noticed this too. Less and less Tetramorium immagrans queens each year, while Brachyponera chinensis and Solenopsis invicta numbers sky rocket... There are now ZERO Tetramorium immagrans nests in my small neighborhood... Last year there was a measly two...

 

Really interesting you would notice that too about Tetramorium. I’ve had several large colonies in my yard die off and seen way less queens. I wonder what’s up?

How interesting. It seems the number of Tetramorium colonies has actually been rising here.


"God made..... all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds (including ants). And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 NIV version

 

Keeping:

Tetramorium immigrans

Formica cf. pallidefulva, cf. incerta, cf. argentea

Formica cf. aserva, cf. subintegra

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Pheidole bicarinata

Myrmica sp.

Lasius neoniger, brevicornis


#87 Offline Martialis - Posted July 4 2019 - 10:05 AM

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I have noticed this too. Less and less Tetramorium immagrans queens each year, while Brachyponera chinensis and Solenopsis invicta numbers sky rocket... There are now ZERO Tetramorium immagrans nests in my small neighborhood... Last year there was a measly two...

 

 

Sounds like the invasives for you,

 

I'm just glad they've not made it to Indiana yet.


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#88 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted July 4 2019 - 11:04 AM

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I have noticed this too. Less and less Tetramorium immagrans queens each year, while Brachyponera chinensis and Solenopsis invicta numbers sky rocket... There are now ZERO Tetramorium immagrans nests in my small neighborhood... Last year there was a measly two...

 
 
Sounds like the invasives for you,
 
I'm just glad they've not made it to Indiana yet.
Colony

They probably won't. They need high temperatures year round. They move into houses during the cooler months.

#89 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted July 4 2019 - 5:16 PM

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Anybody else heading out tonight? It’s perfect weather here at 76 degrees F. with a humidity at 97%! It should be a good night, hoping to get some more colonopsis and pheidole, maybe even a few more temnothorax!
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#90 Offline NickAnter - Posted July 4 2019 - 5:37 PM

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I will, but it is 5-11 mph winds which basically means here, no ants. I did catch another Monomorium though, as they actually don't mind the wind. Hopefully it will die down, and be more suitable. I really want Brachymyrmex, but it looks like i won't get any tonight. Hopefully you get aome more stuff though! Happy 4th!!!!!!!

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 


#91 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted July 4 2019 - 5:54 PM

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I will, but it is 5-11 mph winds which basically means here, no ants. I did catch another Monomorium though, as they actually don't mind the wind. Hopefully it will die down, and be more suitable. I really want Brachymyrmex, but it looks like i won't get any tonight. Hopefully you get aome more stuff though! Happy 4th!!!!!!!


Good luck to you too! And happy 4th :D!
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#92 Offline Martialis - Posted July 4 2019 - 7:19 PM

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I will, but it is 5-11 mph winds which basically means here, no ants. I did catch another Monomorium though, as they actually don't mind the wind. Hopefully it will die down, and be more suitable. I really want Brachymyrmex, but it looks like i won't get any tonight. Hopefully you get some more stuff though! Happy 4th!!!!!!!

Looking up the Orange County forecast, it definitely seems too mild a night for ants.

 

Here in (central) Indiana, I'm just hoping it would rain once. We got a couple week-long deluges in late May and early June, and now have gotten nothing for around two weeks. :lol:

 

 
Anybody else heading out tonight? It’s perfect weather here at 76 degrees F. with a humidity at 97%! It should be a good night, hoping to get some more Colobopsis and Pheidole, maybe even a few more Temnothorax
 

 

 
 
Not me. I got home at 10:45 pm and I don't feel like staying up too late tonight.

Edited by Martialis, July 4 2019 - 7:22 PM.

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#93 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted July 5 2019 - 5:57 AM

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I got some Brachymyrmex depilis queens, a few huge Solenopsis molesta queens and a Hypoponera queen. I only kept the Solenopsis.
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#94 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted July 17 2019 - 7:04 PM

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Well, I surely figured Pheidole flights would have ended by now, but I guess not. I found 2 more Pheidole bicarianata queens on my blacklight. I’m going to attempt to put them in a dual queen setup.

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#95 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted July 17 2019 - 7:14 PM

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Actually, make that a tri queen setup :lol: just found another queen.

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#96 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 19 2020 - 6:39 PM

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I would like to bring back this thread as another season of blacklighting is around the corner for me. I promise I won’t freak out over every little thing that happens this time haha. As always, this is meant to be a public thread where anyone can post there findings/time for different queens while blacklighting. I’m currently out blacklighting right now, but we’ve been in a sort of “drought” for a little over a week now, and we’re supposed to get a thunderstorm on either Sunday or Monday, so I expect flights to start around that time.

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#97 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 19 2020 - 7:02 PM

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I got three Pheidole bicarinata queens and like 30 Temnothorax queens at my blacklight tonight!
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#98 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 19 2020 - 7:25 PM

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:0
Would you mind taking pictures of your setup? Or just describing it? Also, what was the temp/last time it rained?
And also congrats! :D
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#99 Offline M_Ants - Posted June 19 2020 - 8:25 PM

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Does anyone have success black lighting even after it's been dry for a long time?


Veromessor pergandei

Veromessor andrei

Crematogaster sp. 

Pogonomyrmex cf cali and rugosus

Various Pheidole

C. yogi 

https://www.youtube....FG7utFVBA/about


#100 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 20 2020 - 4:25 AM

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Does anyone have success black lighting even after it's been dry for a long time?


I usually don’t, although I have found that some species will fly if it’s just humid and hasn’t rained.

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