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Seriously tiny ants

Started By cap_backfire , Jun 12 2021 6:53 AM

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#1 Offline cap_backfire - Posted June 12 2021 - 6:53 AM

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Ok I didn't know ants got this small. There were at least 50 on this dandelion. Any ideas? U didn't have my glasses and needed the cell camera to even see that they are ants.

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#2 Offline cap_backfire - Posted June 12 2021 - 6:54 AM

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Sorry, I'm in the SW Suburbs of Chicago IL.   Also wish the pic was better but DANG these are tiny!  I mean you can see that one of them could nestle in my finngerprint grooves.   Insane to me.  


#3 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 12 2021 - 7:08 AM

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Solenopsis thief ant species.
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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.

#4 Offline cap_backfire - Posted June 12 2021 - 7:51 AM

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I had no idea ants got this tiny.   Wow.   

Thanks, as always ANTDrew.   You da MAN.   Da ANT man!!! 


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#5 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted June 12 2021 - 8:46 PM

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Apart from Solenopsis there is a chance it's monomorium or some Carebara (oligomyrmex). But ANTdrew should be right considering the fact that I am stupid and he is smarter.

Sent from my CPH2201 using Tapatalk
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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Currently kept ant species, favorites have a star in front of their names (NOT in alphabetical order, also may be outdated sometimes): ★ Camponotus irritans inferior, ★ Ooceraea biroi, Pheidole parva, ★ Nylanderia sp., ★ Paraparatrechina tapinomoides, Platythyrea sp., Anochetus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.

#6 Offline NickAnter - Posted June 12 2021 - 8:49 PM

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Apart from Solenopsis there is a chance it's monomorium or some Carebara (oligomyrmex). But ANTdrew should be right considering the fact that I am stupid and he is smarter.

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Carebara chicagoensis? :lol:  Sure would be incredible if there were Carebara that far North...

 

I agree with Antdrew, nothing else looks like that around that area.


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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 ANTS_KL - Posted June 12 2021 - 8:51 PM

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Apart from Solenopsis there is a chance it's monomorium or some Carebara (oligomyrmex). But ANTdrew should be right considering the fact that I am stupid and he is smarter.

Sent from my CPH2201 using Tapatalk

Carebara chicagoensis? Sure would be incredible if there were Carebara that far North...

I agree with Antdrew, nothing else looks like that around that area.
Me too

Sent from my CPH2201 using Tapatalk
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.

#8 Offline cap_backfire - Posted June 15 2021 - 6:27 AM

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Since that moment I've found them two other times, each time in a dandelion.   Apparently that pollen is DELICIOUS.  I've looked in my other flowers and no luck.   No idea where their nests are as they are impossible to find in the lawn, but I feel like they would be amazing ants to keep if you could keep them inside the nest!   So cool.   


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#9 Offline Mettcollsuss - Posted June 15 2021 - 10:13 AM

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No idea where their nests are as they are impossible to find in the lawn, but I feel like they would be amazing ants to keep if you could keep them inside the nest!   So cool.   

Thief ants nest in soil, often nearby colonies of other ants to steal food or brood from them (hence the common name). It's not uncommon to dig into a thief ant nest while trying to excavate different colony. They're also often found under stones. They're largely subterranean, so there's usually not any noticeable anthill. 


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#10 Offline cap_backfire - Posted June 16 2021 - 7:08 AM

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I can't IMAGINE noticing their anthill!  They're so tiny I imagine they just walk through the natural cracks in the dirt!   These guys are super cool but I bet you'd never, ever see them in a formicarium if they live so much underground.  They concept of keeping them as a species still impresses me since they are just so shockingly tiny.   You could keep a 200 ant colony in a test tube their entire life.  CRAZY!  


#11 Offline Antcatcherpro3 - Posted June 16 2021 - 7:15 AM

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I don't think they have hills, I usually find them under rocks.


And I did keep a colony of them once but over time they stopped getting workers and died.


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#12 Offline cap_backfire - Posted June 16 2021 - 7:30 AM

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I don't think they have hills, I usually find them under rocks.


And I did keep a colony of them once but over time they stopped getting workers and died.

Aw man.   I'll have to check under rocks with my microscope.   I wonder if I could introduce them to my Camponotus colonie's tank... Probably not a good idea... 


#13 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 16 2021 - 9:10 AM

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Easiest way will be to find alates after big summer storms in July. Queens can be really abundant, at least they are in my area.
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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.

#14 Offline cap_backfire - Posted June 16 2021 - 1:25 PM

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But how tiny are the queens?  Could they piggy back on a gnat?   How would you even know??? 


#15 Offline ANTdrew - Posted June 16 2021 - 1:48 PM

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The queens are maybe 4mm long.
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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.

#16 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted June 17 2021 - 3:16 AM

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I don't think they have hills, I usually find them under rocks.


And I did keep a colony of them once but over time they stopped getting workers and died.

Aw man.   I'll have to check under rocks with my microscope.   I wonder if I could introduce them to my Camponotus colonie's tank... Probably not a good idea... 

 

That would actually be interesting as thief ant species are named that because they steal brood from other ants to eat it.


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#17 Offline cap_backfire - Posted June 17 2021 - 11:06 AM

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I think it would totally be interesting... maybe I'll look for them when one of my secondary colonies grows a bit more.   I want to put one of those colonies into a "digging" formicarium when they have enough workers.   Although... I'd never see the thief ants that way... I have to think this through because it really WOULD be very interesting.  Like... how would you VIEW that activity??? Make a second, TINY formicarium for the thief ants?  Hmmm... This bears thought.  


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#18 Offline Kaelwizard - Posted June 18 2021 - 3:11 AM

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I believe they normally nest right next to the colony they prey on.


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#19 Offline cap_backfire - Posted June 18 2021 - 8:01 AM

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Well I intend (If I ever catch any or can find someone who has a spare colony) to make two nests, and connect them with a 2mm tubing I found on Amazon which is MOSTLY clear.   This way the thief ants can get away with their prizes.   We'll see.  I can also close them off from this other nest at will if they are going to the pointof damaging the other hive too much.  From what I've read they don't exclusively raid from another nest, and I have witnessed them in the above pics harvesting pollen from a dandelion (otherwise I wouldn't even know they exist) so they will take other food sources.   I think it would definitely be a very interesting behavior to observe!  


#20 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted June 18 2021 - 8:19 AM

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I can't IMAGINE noticing their anthill!  They're so tiny I imagine they just walk through the natural cracks in the dirt!   These guys are super cool but I bet you'd never, ever see them in a formicarium if they live so much underground.  They concept of keeping them as a species still impresses me since they are just so shockingly tiny.   You could keep a 200 ant colony in a test tube their entire life.  CRAZY!  

 

I don't think they have hills, I usually find them under rocks.


And I did keep a colony of them once but over time they stopped getting workers and died.

they do have hills i saw some at a golf course


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1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

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