6 replies to this topic

[Dendovy]

I have always been torn on flipping rocks during hikes to find queens in their founding stage.
On the one hand I love it since it is by far my most succesfull way of finding queen ants, but on the other you sometimes reveal large colonies who lose their preferred rock and some damage occurs to the colony when placing said rock back. I also love it since I get to see other creatures (recently even found 2 scorpions, which was a first for me), however the same disturbance occurs to these creatures.

I would like to know how you guys feel about this strategy while anting. Good day to you all!

[Dendovy]

Accidentally posted twice but I do not know how to remove one of the posts...

[ANTdrew]

I do very little rock flipping. All I ever find doing that sort of thing are Tapinoma sessile or lone Lasius parasites.

[AntPerson76]

I love flipping rocks. I do find lots of lasius, but it's something that has been very rewarding for me. That's how I found my second pheidole dentata queen and my pheidole tysoni, along with many queens and colonies I've found over the years. Nylanderia flavipes were my first colonies I found under rocks in my yard. And I honestly collected way to many of them. That was when I was beginner ant keepers, like 4 years ago. But I also find salamanders, lizards, and tons of other stuff. I make sure to put the rocks back right where I found them, and also make sure the ants or creatures under the rock are in a position where they won't be squished.

[PurdueEntomology]

Ants are rather resilient and nest disturbance may seem catastrophic but in most cases the colony can shift and adjust. I would say it really depends on the overall habitat in which one is flipping rocks.  If it is a location with a delicate ecosystem then non-disturbance would be preferred.  If it is one's local park then not so much. Ants of many genera and species engage in regular nest relocation and over the past 30+ years a number of studies have been published documenting this. Upshot, consider the immediate ecosystem you may end up disturbing before flipping.  Smaller stones are less likely to create a disturbance than larger.  

[Dendovy]

I seem to have the same experience as antperson, I guess it depends a lot on area, on mountanous areas in europe I can get a 100 founding queens of Camponotus herculeanus/ligniperda if I wanted to. I also just love all the creatures besides ants that I find! Of course, Lasius sp, Myrmica sp and Formica fusca group are very common and fun finds too!

[Izzy]

As a first year ant keeper I've found almost every queen I have flipping rocks. The only thing I've found walking around was Tetramorium. It would have been a pretty disappointing year so far without it, but I feel you. I always worry when I flip a rock because the bigger colonies start moving around, and moving the brood, and even if I place it back its inevitable that some of them will be crushed because they've now moved to parts of the rock where its going to make contact with the ground, but I try to set them back as gently as possible and exactly how I found them. I guess it's just most important to minimize casualties, especially the queen(s).