54 replies to this topic

[KadinB]

(This years tetras flights long story) I woke up to get ready for school and after I got ready waiting for my mom to get ready I went outside to check the pool to see if I can find any queens in there. I did find a pheidole Californica queen. Then a tetra female alate in the pool. I collected her and the pheidole queen. Right when I turn over I see two tetra queens sitting right there. I grab them and sprint back inside to get my aspirator. I came back out and then all of this sudden I notice there’s 100s of tetra queens all over the place. My back yard is mostly concrete so it was easy to find them. I was collecting as many as I could before I had to leave and I got 20 queens and had to leave. I was mad that I was gonna be missing out on tetra flights because of school. But on our way to school my mom said she would collect some for me with my little brother. Why I was at school heading to class I saw so man queens at least a 1000 all on a big area of concrete. I saw one of my teachers that knows I’m into ants and showed her and she was amazed by how many there were. I couldn’t collect any cause I was late to class because of trying to collect queens when I was at home and I didn’t want other people that were late seeing me collect queens. Later that day I showed a project partner a queen and she immediately steps on it and kills it. I was pained to watch that happen lol. Anyways I walk home and when I was walking home I caught around 6 queens. Other people walk the same way I go so I had to pull the good old “ tying my shoe trick” so people don’t see a 8th grader trying to collect a ant lol. When I got home I was so surprised. My mom and my little brother collected 60 queens. That was insane… I got my little bother to go out front with me and walk around the front of the house to collect some and we found 40 more after that. I ran out of test tubes as well lol. It took me 2 hours to get them all into a test tube and I had to put some queens together. I got a colony with 15 queens and now workers. I had to feed them today and it took a hour to feed them all a meal worm bit. But over all that whole flight was fun to experience. I think this is my favorites part about ant keeping is catching queens very exciting. Wow this got long. I would be surprised if someone read through this all lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[futurebird]

Once I was looking for ants with a magnifying glass and my asperator in the park across the street and the neighborhood kids decided to help me and now they constantly bring me pavement ants. 

 

Like all the time. They just give me ants. Worker ants. How do I make it stop?

[strawnkayden1]

Once I was looking for ants with a magnifying glass and my asperator in the park across the street and the neighborhood kids decided to help me and now they constantly bring me pavement ants.

Like all the time. They just give me ants. Worker ants. How do I make it stop?

Say you want ants with wings or fat ants.

[Arthroverts]

I was wandering around in the desert looking for Pogomyrmex (they were of course teasing me; the queens would come up to the surface, and then dart back down into the nest before flying) queens, and I was hunched over an especially large colony when I received a phone call. Being the dutiful communicator I am, I answered it and started talking with the caller. A few seconds later I felt the unmistakable feeling of very large, Pogomyrmex-shaped jaws digging into my left big toe, which caused me to jump and lose hold of my phone, which landed right in the middle of the nest.

After hopping around like my foot was on fire for a few seconds, frantically trying to get the ant out of my shoe, I grabbed my phone and tried to brush off the half-dozen ants determined to tear apart my OtterBox case, all while the caller asked if I was O.K, as I had yelled upon being bitten.

 

Needless to say I left the vicinity of that colony as quickly as I could.

 

Thanks,

 

Arthroverts

[AntBoi3030]

I found 20+ nylanderia queens mating on the ground

[strawnkayden1]

I was wandering around in the desert looking for Pogomyrmex (they were of course teasing me; the queens would come up to the surface, and then dart back down into the nest before flying) queens, and I was hunched over an especially large colony when I received a phone call. Being the dutiful communicator I am, I answered it and started talking with the caller. A few seconds later I felt the unmistakable feeling of very large, Pogomyrmex-shaped jaws digging into my left big toe, which caused me to jump and lose hold of my phone, which landed right in the middle of the nest.
After hopping around like my foot was on fire for a few seconds, frantically trying to get the ant out of my shoe, I grabbed my phone and tried to brush off the half-dozen ants determined to tear apart my OtterBox case, all while the caller asked if I was O.K, as I had yelled upon being bitten.

Needless to say I left the vicinity of that colony as quickly as I could.

Thanks,

Arthroverts

that's such a good story! Must’ve been pretty crazy for the person on the other end.

[cap_backfire]

My only crazy story so far is gettnig questioned by neighbors as I walk around the block with a flashlight and a shoulderbag full of test tubes (obviously they don't see the test tubes) at dusk or at night.  I probably look like a total maniac.   

Still haven't caught my own queens so... that's not great, but I'm ever-hopeful and have all the tools available except luck.   Someday!   

[GreekAnts]

My only crazy story so far is gettnig questioned by neighbors as I walk around the block with a flashlight and a shoulderbag full of test tubes (obviously they don't see the test tubes) at dusk or at night.  I probably look like a total maniac.   

Still haven't caught my own queens so... that's not great, but I'm ever-hopeful and have all the tools available except luck.   Someday!   

Omg same thing, I am trying so hard and still nothing, but I will not gonna give up!  I hope you will find a queen soon and I hope I will find too!

besides that the only crazy story I have is: 3 years ago, I first started searching for queen ants and I went to a park with a friend, he was not into ants or keeping pets in general, he was thinking I am crazy cause I liked ants, anyway I found a "queen" (it turned out to be a camponotus worker...  ) and we headed back to our homes, the next day we went in highschool and we was talking with other guys in the break, and we had a argument (can't remember why) and he yelled "you put ants in your pockets like a weirdo..." (meaning the testube in my pocket from the day back) and everyone stopped and looked at as, I was really shy and got nervous because I was thinking that everyone will think I am a weirdo but nothing happend and everyone just ignored it and continue normally, he probably wanted attention and he felt the urge to yell it outloud so everyone can hear, anyway that was some highschool nonsense, now I am trying to really don't care about other peoples thoughts cause this is who am I and what I like and I don't have to hide and be afraid, I know its really hard not to be shy or think (what are they thinking, they probably think I am crazy) I think that too when I am searching the ground and lift rocks with testubes with cotton in my pockets but I really want to find a queen so I think its worth it!

[strawnkayden1]

My only crazy story so far is gettnig questioned by neighbors as I walk around the block with a flashlight and a shoulderbag full of test tubes (obviously they don't see the test tubes) at dusk or at night. I probably look like a total maniac.

Still haven't caught my own queens so... that's not great, but I'm ever-hopeful and have all the tools available except luck. Someday!

Omg same thing, I am trying so hard and still nothing, but I will not gonna give up! I hope you will find a queen soon and I hope I will find too!

besides that the only crazy story I have is: 3 years ago, I first started searching for queen ants and I went to a park with a friend, he was not into ants or keeping pets in general, he was thinking I am crazy cause I liked ants, anyway I found a "queen" (it turned out to be a camponotus worker... ) and we headed back to our homes, the next day we went in highschool and we was talking with other guys in the break, and we had a argument (can't remember why) and he yelled "you put ants in your pockets like a weirdo..." (meaning the testube in my pocket from the day back) and everyone stopped and looked at as, I was really shy and got nervous because I was thinking that everyone will think I am a weirdo but nothing happend and everyone just ignored it and continue normally, he probably wanted attention and he felt the urge to yell it outloud so everyone can hear, anyway that was some highschool nonsense, now I am trying to really don't care about other peoples thoughts cause this is who am I and what I like and I don't have to hide and be afraid, I know its really hard not to be shy or think (what are they thinking, they probably think I am crazy) I think that too when I am searching the ground and lift rocks with testubes with cotton in my pockets but I really want to find a queen so I think its worth it!

If you have a hard time finding queen go to a moisture area. that's usually where i find most of my colonies.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cap_backfire]

Thanks, Strawnkayden!   So like creekside or something?   I know of a secluded creek in a cematary that I harvest stuff for my isopods from and used to play down there as a kid (long story, not even slightly as creepy as it sounds).   I've also been looking almost extensively on hot, humid evenings/ nights as I'm not a morning person if I don't have to be.   I may change that up when the thief ants are flying next month.    I still haven't even seen a flight so... There's that.  

[strawnkayden1]

Thanks, Strawnkayden! So like creekside or something? I know of a secluded creek in a cematary that I harvest stuff for my isopods from and used to play down there as a kid (long story, not even slightly as creepy as it sounds). I've also been looking almost extensively on hot, humid evenings/ nights as I'm not a morning person if I don't have to be. I may change that up when the thief ants are flying next month. I still haven't even seen a flight so... There's that.

I somehow never have much luck next to creeks so I like to flip rocks a bit away from it where it’s still moist.

[zA-Z0-9]

well I'm only 16 and I've already found 2 rare species

[Antkeeper01]

well I'm only 16 and I've already found 2 rare species

I'm only 13 and have observed about 40-50 different ant species in my year of antkeeping, 3-4 are cryptics my best cryptic find was Strumigenys in a area ruled by tetramorium

[zA-Z0-9]

 

well I'm only 16 and I've already found 2 rare species

I'm only 13 and have observed about 40-50 different ant species in my year of antkeeping, 3-4 are cryptics my best cryptic find was Strumigenys in a area ruled by tetramorium

 

nice

[antsandmore]

I went to a place and stayed there overnight in a cabin. I went there at around 4, and found two pogonomyrmex queens. then, at night, I started blacklighting, and saw a bunch of ants that looked like solenopsis molesta. I didn't catch any though. I also think that I found some pheidole vistana and solenopsis queens, all that have brood right now. two weeks later, I went again, and while black lighting I found two parasitic lasius queens of the genus acanthomyops. I currently don't have host brood, but when I do get host brood, I'm hoping that they get a good colony. Not too insane, but feels like good luck to me.

[Manitobant]

Okay so i have one from today which is straight up weird. I was walking across this large bridge with a busy road on one side of me and the river on the other and i find a dealate camponotus pennsylvanicus queen. I have no idea what she was doing as its not their flight season, she lacked wings and there is no areas where she could start founding.

[Manitobant]

[double post]

Edited by Manitobant, August 8 2021 - 4:16 PM.

[zA-Z0-9]

[double post]

i hate it when i do that 

[SYUTEO]

A few years back, I found an Anochetus queen at a restaurant but since I don't have a container to place it in, I placed it in a plastic bag. But while on the way home, my brother accidently flipped the plastic bag and the queen was nowhere to be found.

[strawnkayden1]

A few years back, I found an Anochetus queen at a restaurant but since I don't have a container to place it in, I placed it in a plastic bag. But while on the way home, my brother accidently flipped the plastic bag and the queen was nowhere to be found.

Oof.