387 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

Nice! Then you’re good to go.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I don't think the queen is in the same place as all the pupae, in the drainage layer. They must have a different location for her, her workforce, and, assuming she is not yet preparing for hibernation, her eggs.

Edited by Antennal_Scrobe, September 28 2019 - 7:12 AM.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

The Myrmica have without a doubt been laying eggs.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

Traded a Crematogaster queen and a Tetramorium queen (The one with 3 workers.) to Pumpkin_Loves_Ants in exchange for a Myrmecina queen (For real this time - she is tiny.), a Myrmica cf. americana queen, and some fruit flies. Both new queens readily accepted fruit flies.

Not to mention there was an Aphaenogaster tenesseensis colony in his yard! I collected two workers.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

One thing I have noticed about the new Myrmica queen, tentatively identified as M. americana (Which is a species complex.), is that the propodeal spines appear to be clear, or at least very inconspicuous.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

Nuptial flight today. There were parasitic Lasius everywhere, and I found a Myrmecina queen, though I let it go to catch a Tetramorium queen. No idea why she would be walking around on a tennis court. Does Tetramorium tsushimae fly in the fall? Speaking of Tetramorium my queen from September 10th has a big pile of small larvae now.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

Nuptial flight today. There were parasitic Lasius everywhere, and I found a Myrmecina queen, though I let it go to catch a Tetramorium queen. No idea why she would be walking around on a tennis court. Does Tetramorium tsushimae fly in the fall? Speaking of Tetramorium my queen from September 10th has a big pile of small larvae now.

I considered tetrimorium for my first colony. Chose C.Pennsylvanicus and I am glad I chose the way I did, otherwise there would have been a 3 way antwar on my driveway

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I found a male Aphaenogaster behind my garage! I walked around on the street behind mine and couldn't find the colony. How far do male ants fly?

[RushmoreAnts]

If they're like other ants, several blocks.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I caught a Ponera queen under a rock. I have no idea how to care for her.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

As of right now I have 3 Ponera queens in a soil filled petri dish. They have accepted cricket leg. The Myrmica punctiventris have been laying eggs nonstop - I swear there were twice as many when I got home today. They are my favorite colony by a long shot. Otherwise, not much has happened. I watered the Tetramorium; forcing them to move their brood temporarily. The Pogonomyrmex appear to have crushed and eaten (They just drank the juice - right now they lack larvae, which unlike adults, can eat solid food.) a few seeds, and still have their eggs (Though they might be thinning them out.).

Edited by Antennal_Scrobe, October 3 2019 - 12:30 PM.

[RushmoreAnts]

I caught a Ponera queen under a rock. I have no idea how to care for her.

Semi claustral, very touchy. Checking on them often is not recommended.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

So I caught several Ponera ants, including a queen, all of which I introduced to the petri dish setup. I also caught a second Myrmecina queen, which I added to the first one. 

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I think the F. pallidefulva colony is going to lay a lot of eggs very soon. One queen looks like she is about to burst! I moved them closer to the heat, hoping to stimulate the queens.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

From now on the unknown Myrmica is M. incompleta.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

That's like half of Myrmica

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I like to identify Myrmica based on the antennal scapes and the size of the queens. The base of a Myrmica sp. antenna tends to be pretty distinctive; M. americana, for example, has a big jutting angle thing at the base of the scape, more so then other species. My incompleta queen has a little curve instead, and the punctiventris are distinctively nondescript in this regard. I almost forgot to mention that that Lasius neoniger queen who laid all the eggs has died.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

I like to identify Myrmica based on the antennal scapes and the size of the queens. The base of a Myrmica sp. antenna tends to be pretty distinctive; M. americana, for example, has a big jutting angle thing at the base of the scape, more so then other species. My incompleta queen has a little curve instead, and the punctiventris are distinctively nondescript in this regard. I almost forgot to mention that that Lasius neoniger queen who laid all the eggs has died.

Is that why you call yourself Antennal_Scrobe?

[Antennal_Scrobe]

 

I like to identify Myrmica based on the antennal scapes and the size of the queens. The base of a Myrmica sp. antenna tends to be pretty distinctive; M. americana, for example, has a big jutting angle thing at the base of the scape, more so then other species. My incompleta queen has a little curve instead, and the punctiventris are distinctively nondescript in this regard. I almost forgot to mention that that Lasius neoniger queen who laid all the eggs has died.

Is that why you call yourself Antennal_Scrobe?

 

No, I just picked that name randomly, a scrobe is a groove that the antenna fits into, not found in most ants. What I was talking about here was the scape, which is the lower, straight part of the antenna. The bendy half of the antenna is called the funiculus.

[Antennal_Scrobe]

I found a Temnothorax longispinosus colony inside a walnut! This is a black Temnothorax species otherwise similar to its relatives. I know I got at least one queen, and they are currently moving in to a test tube setup (Attached to an AC test tube portal.).

It's a pretty big colony too. Maybe 50 workers.