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Black-Lighting Public Journal

Started By CatsnAnts , May 19 2019 12:35 PM

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143 replies to this topic

#101 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 20 2020 - 9:49 AM

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Here my new set up. It's a 25watt bulb I got off Amazon screwed in a lamp:

 

 
I was just screwing this into the porch light, but this was exponentially more effective.

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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.

#102 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 20 2020 - 2:33 PM

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Here my new set up. It's a 25watt bulb I got off Amazon screwed in a lamp:
 

 
I was just screwing this into the porch light, but this was exponentially more effective.


I’m debating whether or not to get a better blacklight. Mines only 15w, and yours seems like it works pretty well considering what you caught. Although I probably won’t buy a new one this year since I spent upwards of 120 dollars on formicarium materials. Anyone heading out tonight? The week-and-a-half long dry period is finally ending tonight as we’re going to get some rain!

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#103 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 20 2020 - 6:04 PM

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71 degrees here. Just an all male sausage party. Lots of C. castaneus, C. nearcticus, and Temnothorax males.
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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.

#104 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 20 2020 - 6:13 PM

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71 degrees here. Just an all male sausage party. Lots of C. castaneus, C. nearcticus, and Temnothorax males.


And the only thing I’ve found is a measly Solenopsis molesta male. Speaking of which, Tetramorium recently flew for me, but I only saw two queens rather than the usual 50, maybe they just haven’t had major flights yet, idk.

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#105 Offline Aaron567 - Posted June 20 2020 - 8:03 PM

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19 Odontomachus haematodus at my lights last night. Got an additional 13 tonight. The drought conditions don't seem to phase them.

 

8VGnSjB.jpg


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#106 Offline Froggy - Posted June 21 2020 - 8:45 AM

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19 Odontomachus haematodus at my lights last night. Got an additional 13 tonight. The drought conditions don't seem to phase them.

Now that's a lot of queens, I've always wanted Odonomachus, maybe I should try backlighting more lol


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#107 Offline rcbuggy88 - Posted June 21 2020 - 5:18 PM

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Do you guys leave your black lights on 247 or just during sunset?

My Shop     :D  :iamsohappy:  :dance3:  :yahoo:

Currently Keeping: Camponotus clarithorax, Camponotus hyatti, Tetramorium immigrans, Nylanderia vividula, Liometopum occidentale, Camponotus modoc, Zootermopsis sp.

Wanted: Acromyrmex versicolor, Myrmecocystus sp., Camponotus us-ca02 (vibrant red not dull orange), Prenolepis imparis, Anything else I don't have lol...

Kept Before: Solenopsis molesta, Prenolepis imparis (still got one, but infertile)

#108 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 21 2020 - 5:24 PM

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Do you guys leave your black lights on 247 or just during sunset?

I leave mine on from 9:30 - 12:00 in the evening (unless I’m leaving a water-trap out for the night).

Anyone heading out tonight? The forecast was apparently wrong for last night (it didn’t rain), and instead, the drought ended today as we got a pretty large rain shower. Humidity currently is 90% and the temperature is 72 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m really hoping a lot of queens are ready to fly after this long dry period, but knowing where I live species tend to fly pretty late in comparison to a lot of places :(

Edit: I’ve also finally taken the advice to hang up my sheet instead of laying it flat:

Edited by CatsnAnts, June 21 2020 - 5:31 PM.

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#109 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 21 2020 - 5:53 PM

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Big night here in VA. It’s hot and humid, 77 degrees. I caught two Pheidole bicarinata queens and there are like 40 Temnothorax queen and several Nylanderia, too. I’m debating if I should bother with the Temnothorax since I’m more than maxed out now with queens.
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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.

#110 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted June 21 2020 - 5:53 PM

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Big night here in VA. It’s hot and humid, 77 degrees. I caught two Pheidole bicarinata queens and there are like 40 Temnothorax queen and several Nylanderia, too. I’m debating if I should bother with the Temnothorax since I’m more than maxed out now with queens.

You could sell them in groups of three or five.

"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

#111 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 21 2020 - 5:55 PM

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All my customers just want “BIG” ants, though.
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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.

#112 Offline ponerinecat - Posted June 21 2020 - 6:23 PM

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19 Odontomachus haematodus at my lights last night. Got an additional 13 tonight. The drought conditions don't seem to phase them.

Now that's a lot of queens, I've always wanted Odonomachus, maybe I should try backlighting more lol

 

Youll likely have to travel to get within their territory.


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#113 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 21 2020 - 6:41 PM

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Big night here in VA. It’s hot and humid, 77 degrees. I caught two Pheidole bicarinata queens and there are like 40 Temnothorax queen and several Nylanderia, too. I’m debating if I should bother with the Temnothorax since I’m more than maxed out now with queens.


And I’m still out here with not a single ant in sight!

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#114 Offline Antkid12 - Posted June 22 2020 - 1:59 AM

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All my customers just want “BIG” ants, though.

Not me, I'm ok with small ants! 


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Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#115 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 22 2020 - 6:29 AM

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Well, I just found a dead Forelius pruinosus queen this morning, this is the first sighting of this species that I have seen around my area, and now I’m wondering if I missed their flights last night. Does anyone know around what time they fly in the night?

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#116 Offline Aaron567 - Posted June 22 2020 - 7:48 AM

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Well, I just found a dead Forelius pruinosus queen this morning, this is the first sighting of this species that I have seen around my area, and now I’m wondering if I missed their flights last night. Does anyone know around what time they fly in the night?

 

Where I am, they fly during the early morning around sunrise, and can be attracted to blacklights during this time.


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#117 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 22 2020 - 8:51 AM

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Well, I just found a dead Forelius pruinosus queen this morning, this is the first sighting of this species that I have seen around my area, and now I’m wondering if I missed their flights last night. Does anyone know around what time they fly in the night?

 
Where I am, they fly during the early morning around sunrise, and can be attracted to blacklights during this time.

Thank you so much! That explains why I’ve never found them, guess I’ll be going to bed late and getting up really early now :lol:

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#118 Offline CatsnAnts - Posted June 23 2020 - 6:59 PM

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Nuptial flights at my blacklight have finally begun! I changed my setup (and created a home-made black light so now I have two) so that I have a large tray of water (the big gray thing) I’m between my two black lights. I on my managed to find one Pheidole bicarinata queen tonight, but lots of drones were flying about leading me to think that more flights will happen tomorrow:

And here’s some pictures of a P. bicarinata colony in my yard that was preparing for flight (until a wolf spider popped out of nowhere and massacred them):



I also move the black lights closer to the water tray when I go in for the night so that it works better as a “trap”, although I still need to rearrange the sheet so that more queens can see it from around my yard.
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#119 Offline BugFinder - Posted June 23 2020 - 7:08 PM

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Here my new set up. It's a 25watt bulb I got off Amazon screwed in a lamp:

 

 
 
I was just screwing this into the porch light, but this was exponentially more effective.

 

how do you keep the queens from leaving once they hit the sheet?


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“If an ant carries an object a hundred times its weight, you can carry burdens many times your size.”  ― Matshona Dhliwayo

 

My Journals:

Pogonomyrmex subdentatus

Camponotus Vicinus

Camponotus sansabeanus

Tetramorium (sp)

Pogonomyrmex Californicus

My Ant Goals!

#120 Offline RushmoreAnts - Posted June 23 2020 - 7:09 PM

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Here my new set up. It's a 25watt bulb I got off Amazon screwed in a lamp:
 
 
 
I was just screwing this into the porch light, but this was exponentially more effective.

how do you keep the queens from leaving once they hit the sheet?
If I were him I’d just snatch ‘em.
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"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

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