166 replies to this topic

[Subverted]

In case you didn't know, invasive species are bad.

 

 

Collected around 20 Pogonomyrmex californicus queens so far this year which should be plenty to get a couple more nice colonies out of.

[Tpro4]

wait, do you go queen hunting with Drew?

[Subverted]

Sometimes - last time was when I grabbed that Camponotus queen a couple weeks back

[Subverted]

Forgot to post up this new Pogonomyrmex video:

 

[Subverted]

This Crematogaster I caught about a year ago seems like it finally will have a worker again. Twice It has gotten a nanitic and then murdered everything:

 

 

Temnothorax with a HUGE egg:

 

 

 

My Pheidole will have some workers any day now!

 

[dspdrew]

I wonder if you'll have better luck than I have had with that P. vistana.

[Air]

How is your Pseudomyrmex apache queen?

[Subverted]

I never had a queen. It was just a satellite colony or fragment.

[Air]

Umm, what's this?

 

https://gyazo.com/1e...ea16cdd4da3a2bf

[Subverted]

Oh LOL forgot about her. She never laid any eggs. I had a colony fragment for a few months and she only lasted a number of days.

[Air]

Aww. that's a bummer! Hope you find another one soon.

[Subverted]

Late night photos are always a little crooked - at least that's what I'm telling myself tonight. Don't judge me...hey...I said don't!

 

These Pogonomyrmex californicus have really made a horrible mess of their setup. I think I will have to move them into a new one soon because this is getting a little bit too ugly and hard to clean.

 

 

[AnthonyP163]

Updates on other ants?

[Subverted]

All my other ants, aside from a single M. yuma queen and her 2 workers, were killed on the same day by an invasion of argentine ants.

I came home after hiking to find 1/2" wide trails of those little jerks streaming from each of my ant colonies and thought they had even carried off the queen of that Pogonomyrmex californicus colony in the most recent update. Took about a month before I finally saw her running around in there again afterwards.

[Antony]

Wow that's a bummer. But I kind of would like that to happen to me someday though and see how my ants defend themselves.

[T.C.]

Wow that's a bummer. But I kind of would like that to happen to me someday though and see how my ants defend themselves.

Argentine ants invade by the thousands. They are highly invasive. Your colonies wouldn't be able to defend themselves.

[Subverted]

The only reason my Pogonomyrmex californicus colony survived was because they had dirt and started back filling their nest as the argentines invaded.

[klawfran3]

The only reason my Pogonomyrmex californicus colony survived was because they had dirt and started back filling their nest as the argentines invaded.

I'm glad they survived, but I'm sorry for your loss. If your ants are on a shelving unit I heard putting the feet of it in little dishes of oil will prevent argentines from getting to your colonies. How many colonies do you estimate you lost? quite the tragedy subvurted

[Subverted]

I'm glad they survived, but I'm sorry for your loss. If your ants are on a shelving unit I heard putting the feet of it in little dishes of oil will prevent argentines from getting to your colonies. How many colonies do you estimate you lost? quite the tragedy subvurted

It was about a dozen Myrmecocystus colonies with 20-50 workers and 2 Liometopum occidentale free range colonies with about 200 workers each that lived on opposite sides of my desk. The argentine ants started with the free range colonies and then climbed across a power cord that had bridged the gap to the metal shelves where the rest of the colonies were. I had the legs covered in fluon but wasnt being very careful about cords or anything like that then.

Eventually I guess I will have to set up a more "secure" place to keep my ants but with just the two colonies its not a priority.

[LC3]

Drew take notes, time to start manufacturing those cabinets. Especially with the recent influx of members and increasingly turbulent ecosystem as the Argentines pull off more Zerg rushes to attain global domination.