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When to hunt for queens

Started By LIExotics , Apr 17 2022 7:32 AM

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14 replies to this topic

#1 Offline LIExotics - Posted April 17 2022 - 7:32 AM

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Hey everyone. Quick question. The weather is dropping here on long Island again, real feel being just above 45 degrees F. The last 4 days I've gone looking for ants and haven't found any successfully. I know the species that I'm really looking for flies between April and June every year according to the nuptial flight research I've done. Do I have to wait until the temp gets above 60 to catch the queens, or has anyone had success finding queens in these lower temperatures?

#2 Offline OiledOlives - Posted April 17 2022 - 7:54 AM

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If you're looking for new queens, 70+ temps with low wind are going to be the circumstance that most ants will fly in. What species are you looking for?


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#3 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted April 18 2022 - 7:57 AM

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As OiledOlives said, it depends on temperature. He is in NY(Location on AC forum), so maybe something up there?
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#4 Offline LIExotics - Posted April 19 2022 - 1:04 PM

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What's up SolenopsisKeeper. How's it going? Lol.
And pretty much any species of any that lives in my area. I found a false honeypot ant queen but her wings are still on and she hasn't dropped them yet, so I don't know if she's fertile. I'd like to find a few more. Plus more c. Subbarabus, and other carpenter species. Maybe a fire ant queen too. I really want a fire ant colony.

#5 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted April 19 2022 - 1:29 PM

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What's up SolenopsisKeeper. How's it going? Lol.
And pretty much any species of any that lives in my area. I found a false honeypot ant queen but her wings are still on and she hasn't dropped them yet, so I don't know if she's fertile. I'd like to find a few more. Plus more c. Subbarabus, and other carpenter species. Maybe a fire ant queen too. I really want a fire ant colony.

Fire ants in the genus Solenopsis are not found in New York and even if you could get a queen of Solenopsis Fire ants  (which is illegal by the way unless you get a Solenopsis xyloni queen from stateside ants or a permit which is SUPER hard to get) they grow far to fast, eat a lot,and are escape artists ( the closest thing you could get to a fire ant without purchasing one is Solenopsis molesta which are tiny but are fun to keep none the less).


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

#6 Offline OiledOlives - Posted April 19 2022 - 1:39 PM

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What's up SolenopsisKeeper. How's it going? Lol.
And pretty much any species of any that lives in my area. I found a false honeypot ant queen but her wings are still on and she hasn't dropped them yet, so I don't know if she's fertile. I'd like to find a few more. Plus more c. Subbarabus, and other carpenter species. Maybe a fire ant queen too. I really want a fire ant colony.

Fire ants in the genus Solenopsis are not found in New York and even if you could get a queen of Solenopsis Fire ants  (which is illegal by the way unless you get a Solenopsis xyloni queen from stateside ants or a permit which is SUPER hard to get) they grow far to fast, eat a lot,and are escape artists ( the closest thing you could get to a fire ant without purchasing one is Solenopsis molesta which are tiny but are fun to keep none the less).

 

Tbone does not have permits to ship S. xyloni to New York. S. molesta are not really similar in captivity to saevissima or geminata groups. 


Youtube: Atlantic Ants - YouTube
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#7 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted April 19 2022 - 1:50 PM

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I was talking about similarity in genes not behaviour.

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

#8 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted April 19 2022 - 2:12 PM

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What's up SolenopsisKeeper. How's it going? Lol.
And pretty much any species of any that lives in my area. I found a false honeypot ant queen but her wings are still on and she hasn't dropped them yet, so I don't know if she's fertile. I'd like to find a few more. Plus more c. Subbarabus, and other carpenter species. Maybe a fire ant queen too. I really want a fire ant colony.


Aaron’s queens that are fertile sometimes don’t loose their wings. In all his journals, they usually shed them after many workers.

#9 Offline ConcordAntman - Posted April 22 2022 - 4:29 PM

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Hey everyone. Quick question. The weather is dropping here on long Island again, real feel being just above 45 degrees F. The last 4 days I've gone looking for ants and haven't found any successfully. I know the species that I'm really looking for flies between April and June every year according to the nuptial flight research I've done. Do I have to wait until the temp gets above 60 to catch the queens, or has anyone had success finding queens in these lower temperatures?

Temperature, humidity, species, and time of season. Check out the nuptial flight guide:

https://www.formicul...t-mating-chart/

Then wait and have some luck!


#10 Offline LIExotics - Posted April 22 2022 - 5:40 PM

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Doesn't ny have a species of fire ant here? If not, what are the small orange and that if you go near them they sting like crazy? I have an established colony in my back yard. And if you touch them, or happen to put your hand into a group of them, they sting, and it's painful. I found that out while gardening in my backyard. Accidentally put my hand into their nest. And it was a painful experience. And they are a blood orange color. And about 5 to 6 mm long.
I always thought those were fire ants. Lol

#11 Offline ColAnt735 - Posted April 22 2022 - 6:17 PM

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Doesn't ny have a species of fire ant here? If not, what are the small orange and that if you go near them they sting like crazy? I have an established colony in my back yard. And if you touch them, or happen to put your hand into a group of them, they sting, and it's painful. I found that out while gardening in my backyard. Accidentally put my hand into their nest. And it was a painful experience. And they are a blood orange color. And about 5 to 6 mm long.
I always thought those were fire ants. Lol

The common stereotype is that all red/yellow/orange or any coloration even slightly resembles red is a fire ant. True Fire Ants are in the genus Solenopsis and are one of the most invasive ants on the planet but there are no Fire Ant species in New York. The ants that seem to be in your backyard might be Myrmica ( pictures are needed to be sure) which are not real fire ants although Myrmica rubra has the common name European Fire Ants.


Edited by ColAnt735, April 22 2022 - 6:18 PM.

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

#12 Offline ANTS_KL - Posted April 22 2022 - 6:23 PM

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What's up SolenopsisKeeper. How's it going? Lol.
And pretty much any species of any that lives in my area. I found a false honeypot ant queen but her wings are still on and she hasn't dropped them yet, so I don't know if she's fertile. I'd like to find a few more. Plus more c. Subbarabus, and other carpenter species. Maybe a fire ant queen too. I really want a fire ant colony.

Camponotus subbarbatus

I'm sorry I had to.


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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.

#13 Offline ANTdrew - Posted April 23 2022 - 5:14 AM

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Give thanks that you live in a place that is too cold for RIFAs. If not, you would have no ant diversity.
"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 April 23 2022 - 7:20 AM

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What's up SolenopsisKeeper. How's it going? Lol.
And pretty much any species of any that lives in my area. I found a false honeypot ant queen but her wings are still on and she hasn't dropped them yet, so I don't know if she's fertile. I'd like to find a few more. Plus more c. Subbarabus, and other carpenter species. Maybe a fire ant queen too. I really want a fire ant colony.

Camponotus subbarbatus
I'm sorry I had to.


I would too if it lived locally, it’s just I am not certain now how to spell it

Edited by SolenopsisKeeper-, April 23 2022 - 7:24 AM.

#15 Offline Guest_SolenopsisKeeper_* - Posted April 23 2022 - 7:22 AM

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Give thanks that you live in a place that is too cold for RIFAs. If not, you would have no ant diversity.

Indeed. Five types of common ants in Florida.

-Argentine ants
-Big headed ants
-Fast growing Camponotus Floridanus
-Dorymyrmex bureni(Anti- fire ant)
-… Solenopsis invicta(RIFA)
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