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Help with pharaoh ants!

Started By Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* , Feb 24 2022 3:54 PM

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25 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 24 2022 - 3:54 PM

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Greetings,
I have recently caught a pharaoh ant colony, but… they don’t seem to have a… normal queen…. She is all black, thin, and the workers will carry here around. Workers are 3mm, queen is about 3.5 or 4.
Photo of worker on cloth.

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#2 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 24 2022 - 4:08 PM

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Here she is. About same size as larger workers.
Sorry for bad quality
Some sort of parasitic species?

Sorry if I am stupid and this is a pharaoh ant queen xD She is all black and workers are orange…

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Edited by SolenopsisKeeper-, February 24 2022 - 4:11 PM.

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#3 Offline SYUTEO - Posted February 24 2022 - 6:13 PM

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The queen resembles some species of Tetramorium and parasitic Monomorium. Though I couldn't find any species that lives in Florida.


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#4 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 24 2022 - 6:20 PM

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It just does t seem like a pharaoh ant queen
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#5 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 24 2022 - 7:42 PM

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Thanks for the help, but it turns out these aren’t pharaoh ant workers.
The queen belongs to Temnothorax curvispinosus, and looks similar to pharaoh ants at a glance, sorry for the misleading info.(Difference is spines on workers back barely noticeable in photo)
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#6 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 24 2022 - 7:43 PM

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I also should attach the most recent photo, but thanks for the help!

Also, do you think these guys could do-exist in a terrarium with Camponotus?

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#7 Offline ANTdrew - Posted February 25 2022 - 3:10 AM

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No
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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.

#8 Offline OiledOlives - Posted February 25 2022 - 5:28 AM

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Queen does not look like any T. curvispinosus I have seen. I'm sure they could coexist with Camponotus however.


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#9 Offline Manitobant - Posted February 25 2022 - 8:43 AM

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Those appear to be Tetramorium caldarium, a very small species that has spread around the world through human trade. They’re closely related to the common pavement ant up north, but have a completely different lifestyle and behaviour.

Edited by Manitobant, February 25 2022 - 8:50 AM.

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My journals:

Polyergus Mexicanus: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry175528
Lasius minutus: https://www.formicul...cs/#entry174811
Lasius latipes: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry206449
General acanthomyops journal: https://www.formicul...yops-with-eggs/

#10 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted February 25 2022 - 9:02 AM

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Those appear to be Tetramorium caldarium, a very small species that has spread around the world through human trade. They’re closely related to the common pavement ant up north, but have a completely different lifestyle and behavior.

I agree with Manitobant's identification.


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"If an ant carries an object a hundred times it's weight,you can carry burdens many times your size.

#11 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 25 2022 - 12:49 PM

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She has a black color without light
Here is a better photo

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Edited by SolenopsisKeeper-, February 25 2022 - 12:49 PM.

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#12 Offline Manitobant - Posted February 25 2022 - 8:01 PM

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Yeah that’s definitely T. caldarium. I've kept these guys before, and their queens are noticeably darker than the workers.
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My journals:

Polyergus Mexicanus: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry175528
Lasius minutus: https://www.formicul...cs/#entry174811
Lasius latipes: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry206449
General acanthomyops journal: https://www.formicul...yops-with-eggs/

#13 Offline ANTdrew - Posted February 26 2022 - 3:22 AM

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Note to self: don’t take ant ID photos on top of dark colored towels.
"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 Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 26 2022 - 6:36 AM

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The reason I believed it was acorn ants is Becuase they would take short sips of mealworm flesh and nectar.

Also, is that species polgynos? I saw 3 queens on the nest, so the species needs to be polgynos.

Also, on the red circle, I may see spines, but it may be the lighting.

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Edited by SolenopsisKeeper-, February 26 2022 - 6:41 AM.

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#15 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 26 2022 - 6:44 AM

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I would also like to add a photo I found online of acorn ants in comparison tho the queen

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Edited by SolenopsisKeeper-, February 26 2022 - 6:45 AM.

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#16 Offline ArmansAnts - Posted February 26 2022 - 9:22 AM

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Definitely a Tetramorium​ sp.


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#17 Offline OiledOlives - Posted February 26 2022 - 9:22 AM

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Just because they ate a mealworm and drank sugars does not mean that this species is Temnothorax. Tetramorium caldarium have spines as well, so I have no clue what you mean when you point out the spines. If you took the time to do a quick google search, you would learn that T. caldarium is, in fact, polygynous. "Acorn ants" (Temnothorax) vary from species to species, so a Google picture of one species does not prove your point at all. 


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Youtube: Atlantic Ants - YouTube
Website: Ants for Sale - Atlantic Ants

#18 Offline antsriondel - Posted February 26 2022 - 1:05 PM

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Just because they ate a mealworm and drank sugars does not mean that this species is Temnothorax. Tetramorium caldarium have spines as well, so I have no clue what you mean when you point out the spines. If you took the time to do a quick google search, you would learn that T. caldarium is, in fact, polygynous. "Acorn ants" (Temnothorax) vary from species to species, so a Google picture of one species does not prove your point at all. 

yes it is definitely tetramorium caldarium.


#19 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 26 2022 - 1:42 PM

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I will get some high detail pics of workers tommorow, and I mentioned that they took short and frequent sips, like acorn ants(I didn’t say this proves anything)
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#20 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted February 26 2022 - 1:48 PM

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Also, what is the difference between the Temnothorax and tetromorium?(Microscopic) and care
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