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Help identifying queen ant

Started By ozzopolar , Apr 9 2021 7:08 PM

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21 replies to this topic

#1 Offline ozzopolar - Posted April 9 2021 - 7:08 PM

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I have this queen i caught near the Canadian rockies. Can you please help me identify it?

 

Thank you in advance

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#2 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted April 9 2021 - 11:41 PM

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I think Lasius neoniger idk


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Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): ★ Camponotus irritans inferior, ★ Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, ★ Nylanderia sp., ★ Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), ★ Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.

#3 Offline Dino - Posted April 10 2021 - 1:29 AM

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Yeah it looks a lot like Lasius neoniger. It almost definitely is.


Ants I'm keeping 

 

Lasius niger 15-20 workers

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#4 Offline Dino - Posted April 10 2021 - 1:30 AM

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It looks like a very healthy queen maybe when her first workers enclose you could start a journal?


Ants I'm keeping 

 

Lasius niger 15-20 workers

Journal

#5 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted April 10 2021 - 6:11 AM

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yeah she really looks healthy


1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

My Youtube channel: https://www.youtube....kUjx-dPFMyVqOLw

 

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#6 Offline NickAnter - Posted April 10 2021 - 6:23 AM

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This is a Lasius in the niger group. You CANNOT ID this genus to species without extremely close pictures of the teeth and antennal scapes.


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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). 

#7 Offline ozzopolar - Posted April 10 2021 - 8:43 AM

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Thanks to all of you for helping us identify her. This is my son's hobby and first time raising ants, I am just "the help" or as he calls me: "his assistant". We caught 4 of these back in August. The one in the picture started laying eggs within a week. The other 3: nothing at all until about March 21st when I noticed a few small eggs. As far as the other 2 is concerned nothing yet.  My son and I change the cotton that covers the open end of the tube every 4 days. We noticed that as soon as we change it the queen in the picture rushes to drink water. Unfortunately, at the other end of the tube the water has dried out completely and we decided not to attempt to move her.  I will start a journal and post more pictures of the ants hopefully i can get a good pic of the face.


Edited by ozzopolar, April 10 2021 - 8:46 AM.

#8 Offline steelplant - Posted April 10 2021 - 3:13 PM

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The ant needs humidity to survive. It's vital you get her into a new tube with water behind the inside cotton, wetting it. You can attach the new tube to the old one so she has access to water right away.

Edited by steelplant, April 10 2021 - 3:15 PM.

#9 Offline ozzopolar - Posted April 10 2021 - 5:47 PM

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The ant needs humidity to survive. It's vital you get her into a new tube with water behind the inside cotton, wetting it. You can attach the new tube to the old one so she has access to water right away.

Thank you I will do that right away!


#10 Offline steelplant - Posted April 11 2021 - 3:40 AM

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Nice one ozzopolar. I wish her many long and fruitful seasons :)

#11 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 11 2021 - 5:29 AM

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You don’t need to change the cotton blocking the opening. That just stresses her out.

#12 Offline ozzopolar - Posted April 11 2021 - 8:42 AM

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You don’t need to change the cotton blocking the opening. That just stresses her out.

thank you we were wondering that. So, they have enough water with the cotton inside the tube ?


#13 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 11 2021 - 9:56 AM

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You don’t need to change the cotton blocking the opening. That just stresses her out.

thank you we were wondering that. So, they have enough water with the cotton inside the tube ?
What do you mean? Have you been taking out the cotton blocking the water? If so they can drink the water that is absorbed by the cotton. They don’t need it removed to drink.

Edited by Kaelwizard, April 11 2021 - 9:56 AM.

#14 Offline ozzopolar - Posted April 11 2021 - 12:28 PM

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You don’t need to change the cotton blocking the opening. That just stresses her out.

thank you we were wondering that. So, they have enough water with the cotton inside the tube ?
What do you mean? Have you been taking out the cotton blocking the water? If so they can drink the water that is absorbed by the cotton. They don’t need it removed to drink.

 

No, we don't remove the cotton inside; we only change the water on the one covering the open end.


#15 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 11 2021 - 6:25 PM

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You don’t need to change the cotton blocking the opening. That just stresses her out.

thank you we were wondering that. So, they have enough water with the cotton inside the tube ?
What do you mean? Have you been taking out the cotton blocking the water? If so they can drink the water that is absorbed by the cotton. They don’t need it removed to drink.

No, we don't remove the cotton inside; we only change the water on the one covering the open end.
Sorry if this comes across as rude or blunt, but how many pieces of cotton are in the test tube? The way you are describing makes it seem like there are more than 2. I don’t understand what you mean by “we only change the water on the one covering the open end.” If you mean there is water on the one blocking the opening then there probably shouldn’t be.

Edited by Kaelwizard, April 11 2021 - 6:27 PM.

#16 Offline ozzopolar - Posted April 11 2021 - 7:27 PM

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You don’t need to change the cotton blocking the opening. That just stresses her out.

thank you we were wondering that. So, they have enough water with the cotton inside the tube ?
What do you mean? Have you been taking out the cotton blocking the water? If so they can drink the water that is absorbed by the cotton. They don’t need it removed to drink.

No, we don't remove the cotton inside; we only change the water on the one covering the open end.
Sorry if this comes across as rude or blunt, but how many pieces of cotton are in the test tube? The way you are describing makes it seem like there are more than 2. I don’t understand what you mean by “we only change the water on the one covering the open end.” If you mean there is water on the one blocking the opening then there probably shouldn’t be.

 

No worries. I thank you for helping out. We have the water on the closed end with cotton. On the open end we cover the opening with a wet cotton and that is the one we have been changing and adding water to.  Hope this clarifies.


#17 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted April 12 2021 - 3:12 AM

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Yes, thanks. The one blocking the opening should not be wet as it needs to be dry for proper airflow. They drink through the one blocking the water, not the one blocking the open end.


Edited by Kaelwizard, April 12 2021 - 3:12 AM.

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#18 Offline ozzopolar - Posted April 12 2021 - 8:26 AM

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Yes, thanks. The one blocking the opening should not be wet as it needs to be dry for proper airflow. They drink through the one blocking the water, not the one blocking the open end.

 

 Understood thank you!


#19 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted April 12 2021 - 11:16 PM

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newbie confusion lol. You could watch some tutorials on How To Make A Test Tube Setup For Queen Ants in YouTube if you don't understand.


Young ant keeper with a decent amount of knowledge on local ant species.

YouTube: https://m.youtube.co...uKsahGliSH7EqOQ (It's pretty dead. Might upload again soon, don't expect my voice to sound the same though.)

Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): ★ Camponotus irritans inferior, ★ Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, ★ Nylanderia sp., ★ Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus sp., Colobopsis sp. (cylindrica group), ★ Crematogaster ferrarii, Polyrhachis (Myrma) cf. pruinosa, Polyrhachis (Cyrtomyrma) laevissima, Tapinoma sp. (formerly Zatapinoma)

Death count: Probably over a hundred individual queens and colonies by now. I cannot recall whatsoever.

#20 Offline ozzopolar - Posted April 14 2021 - 6:35 AM

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newbie confusion lol. You could watch some tutorials on How To Make A Test Tube Setup For Queen Ants in YouTube if you don't understand.

 

 

Yes, we are definitely newbies but thank you all for your advice we feel supported here


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