12 replies to this topic

[futurebird]

Because I'm very confused about the alates and eggs in my queenless Dorymyrmex bureni colony (read about that colony here) I've been reading everything I can find about these ants online. Sadly, there is a lot of misinformation about ants online. Much of it is on websites run by exterminators, but now with "AI Generated" content there are even more incorrect and just strange sources. But, the first incorrect information about Dorymyrmex bureni I would encounter was on a university website!

 

First of all, some background: Dorymyrmex bureni are tiny, highly active light brown/yellow ants. They do not sting and can't bite human skin effectively due to being small. They do not generally respond to their nest being disturbed by trying to bite a large animal like a human. They run away, carrying their brood and sisters. Since they are super fast, this is effective. They do not typically infest human dwellings, they like to live in sandy soil with lots of sun exposure. Any ant that lives in hot sandy soil down south in the USA is a potential buffer species for the invasive fire ants Solenopsis invicta.

 

"We have observed this species to attack workers and especially newly mated queens of the imported fire ants, the bodies of which are then often scattered around the crater of the Dorymyrmex colony."

https://mississippie...rmex.bureni.htm

 

These are the things I know about these ants from study and experience. .. so why would Dorymyrmex bureni be on lists of "pests" with directions for killing them?

 

"Colonies found under items on the ground can be drenched with a few ounces of insecticide." (TA&MU recommendation for "treating" Dorymyrmex bureni)

 

Very disappointed to see that TA&MU is recommending "treating" Dorymyrmex bureni ant colonies. I wonder what other beneficial native insects are also on the kill list of the Agricultural & Life Sciences website. Further, based on how they describe the ants, I don't even think they have identified them correctly. To be fair it, sounds like some species of Dorymyrmex... but it's odd that they'd be that far west and there are no observations in iNaturalist in that area.

 

"Color combinations: Reddish-black head and thorax – black abdomen Red head and thorax – black abdomen" (TA&MU)

 

This is totally wrong. bureni is light brown/ yellow orange. There is a photo of an ant on TA&MU's website and I don't know if it is Dorymyrmex bureni, it appears to be some other Dorymyrmex sp. ... possibly bicolor. 

 

Searching the web more I found more misinformation I found several sites that claimed that Dorymyrmex ants are "aggressive" and have a "painful bite" -- perhaps these were written by small hapless garden spiders and young crickets? I can't image anyone calling the failed attempts at biting from these tiny ants painful. 

 

I've realized that I need to go to a real library. Researching ants online has limitations. There are many pages that are just totally incorrect and it's disturbing. 

[ANTdrew]

The internet is a mile wide and a quarter inch deep.

[Flu1d]

D. bureni is a fun species to keep. They're absolute crackheads (super fast and always busy) and I love them for it.

You have to surround yourself with knowledgeable people in the ant world because the internet and even social media groups are always gonna steer you wrong.. that is my experience, at least.

They're a good species to have around and I always tell folks not to treat them.. unfortunately people still assume all ants are bad and do it anyway. S. invicta are so common in Florida that everyone just assumes all ants sting and invade, regardless of what I tell them.

[futurebird]

They are such silly fun little ants. I guess that's why hearing them called "aggressive" or treated like a pest annoyed me. How do they have so much energy?

 

I call them "sun sprite ants" because when I turn on the lights they are the only ants that come out just to be in the light. They love heat. 

Edited by futurebird, March 23 2024 - 1:31 PM.

[Flu1d]

They are such silly fun little ants. I guess that's why hearing them called "aggressive" or treated like a pest annoyed me. How do they have so much energy?

I call them "sun sprite ants" because when I turn on the lights they are the only ants that come out just to be in the light. They love heat.

D. bureni may be aggressive to food/sugar, but not people. I have picked up the occasional worker for a photo op so many times, and all they wanna do is run up and down my arm. No aggression toward me whatsoever, just curiosity and maybe a little confusion on how they are suddenly flying on my arm like a spaceship.

[rptraut]

Hello futurebird;

Some ants have a common name with a built-in prejudice against them. Fire ants, thief ants, and the one that bugs me the most, Odorous house ants. How much nicer would “Aromatic House Ants” sound. In Canada we call Camponotus ‘Carpenter Ants’ but in Australia they’re called ‘Sugar Ants’. Which ones would you like to keep? I know you can’t easily change common names, but ornithologists do it all the time! Right now the common names of birds are being changed to eliminate any reference to a person. All it takes is a person or organization to “officially” change the name. Formiculture.com could lead the way!
RPT

[The_Gaming-gate]

Dorymyrmex bureni actually happens to be one of the most aggressive ants in the U.S, being one of few species that can successfully take on a mature S. Invicta colony. Their sting is potent enough to rival Psuedomyrmex, and are often found raiding Pogonomyrmex nests, stealing brood while the harvester ants can’t do anything about it. When they invade a home you literally have to get an exterminator since they will survive a direct hit with bug spray and be pretty much unharmed. Dorymyrmex is also very smart, taking dead ants from other colonies and using those pheromones to scare away enemy colonies. They stack up gravel to reach arboreal colonies. Just amazing, dangerous ants, Dorymyrmex are.

























































“How amazing and aggressive Dorymyrmex are”


I do not understand how they can survive all of the Solenopsis in Florida. I watched a D. bureni worker try to kill a worm/maggot looking think about the same size as it, and it took 10 minutes for her to even pick up the worm. Never even killed it. Most aggressive ant I’ve ever seen. I have put like 20 Dorymyrmex workers in a box, the moment a few fire ants find it, there will be no Dorymyrmex and one very full S. invicta worker who just earned a free meal.


TLDR: “Totally the most aggressive ants, D. bureni”

Edited by The_Gaming-gate, March 26 2024 - 11:49 AM.

[futurebird]

Dorymyrmex don't sting?

 

It's true they take on S. Invicta (who do sting, though their sting is not as strong as Pogonomyrmex) but when people say ants are "aggressive" they tend to mean towards humans. They also don't really invade houses... are we talking about the same ant? I literally keep these ants and if they could sting I'd know. 

 

https://www.formicul...e-2#entry237746

[The_Gaming-gate]

Dorymyrmex don't sting?

It's true they take on S. Invicta (who do sting, though their sting is not as strong as Pogonomyrmex) but when people say ants are "aggressive" they tend to mean towards humans. They also don't really invade houses... are we talking about the same ant? I literally keep these ants and if they could sting I'd know.

https://www.formicul...e-2#entry237746

I was being sarcastic since Dorymyrmex are about one of the least threatening ants you can find. They would not stand a chance against Pogonomyrmex and there is no way they get deep enough to steal brood. The second paragraph is where you’ll find good information.

[Flu1d]

Dorymyrmex don't sting?

It's true they take on S. Invicta (who do sting, though their sting is not as strong as Pogonomyrmex) but when people say ants are "aggressive" they tend to mean towards humans. They also don't really invade houses... are we talking about the same ant? I literally keep these ants and if they could sting I'd know.

https://www.formicul...e-2#entry237746

I could be wrong here, but I think he was being sarcastic and quoting somebody else. I'm not sure.

I hope so, at least.

Also, if you wanna see a species take on S. invicta and oftentimes win, observe Pheidole obscurithorax.

Here in my part of Florida, they will nest near S. invicta and compete with them for food and resources and WIN. A LOT. It's crazy to see. I have watched them fight one another often because they both exist in my yard, and there's hardly any S. invicta anymore and I have watched P. obscurithorax expand more and more. They're one of the few ants I have seen actually kick an S. invicta colony out of their spot. (By that I mean not eliminate them, but be so troublesome that the Solenopsis invicta colony will MOVE because competing with the P. obscurithorax just isn't worth it to them.)

[The_Gaming-gate]

Dorymyrmex don't sting?

It's true they take on S. Invicta (who do sting, though their sting is not as strong as Pogonomyrmex) but when people say ants are "aggressive" they tend to mean towards humans. They also don't really invade houses... are we talking about the same ant? I literally keep these ants and if they could sting I'd know.

https://www.formicul...e-2#entry237746

I could be wrong here, but I think he was being sarcastic and quoting somebody else. I'm not sure.

I hope so, at least.

Also, if you wanna see a species take on S. invicta and oftentimes win, observe Pheidole obscurithorax.

Here in my part of Florida, they will nest near S. invicta and compete with them for food and resources and WIN. A LOT. It's crazy to see. I have watched them fight one another often because they both exist in my yard, and there's hardly any S. invicta anymore and I have watched P. obscurithorax expand more and more. They're one of the few ants I have seen actually kick an S. invicta colony out of their spot. (By that I mean not eliminate them, but be so troublesome that the Solenopsis invicta colony will MOVE because competing with the P. obscurithorax just isn't worth it to them.)

Yeah, I was being sarcastic. I never knew they actually fought the invicta, for me they nest close to each other and coexist, simply avoiding going to the same food sources.

[Flu1d]

Dorymyrmex don't sting?

It's true they take on S. Invicta (who do sting, though their sting is not as strong as Pogonomyrmex) but when people say ants are "aggressive" they tend to mean towards humans. They also don't really invade houses... are we talking about the same ant? I literally keep these ants and if they could sting I'd know.

https://www.formicul...e-2#entry237746

I could be wrong here, but I think he was being sarcastic and quoting somebody else. I'm not sure.

I hope so, at least.

Also, if you wanna see a species take on S. invicta and oftentimes win, observe Pheidole obscurithorax.

Here in my part of Florida, they will nest near S. invicta and compete with them for food and resources and WIN. A LOT. It's crazy to see. I have watched them fight one another often because they both exist in my yard, and there's hardly any S. invicta anymore and I have watched P. obscurithorax expand more and more. They're one of the few ants I have seen actually kick an S. invicta colony out of their spot. (By that I mean not eliminate them, but be so troublesome that the Solenopsis invicta colony will MOVE because competing with the P. obscurithorax just isn't worth it to them.)

Yeah, I was being sarcastic. I never knew they actually fought the invicta, for me they nest close to each other and coexist, simply avoiding going to the same food sources.

Yeah, the P. obscurithorax in my yard would oftentimes compete for resources with the S. invicta. The S. invicta would raid nearby nests, would fight other colonies to steal their meal etc. However, whenever they would try it with the P. obscurithorax, they would eventually end up leaving as the Pheidole swarmed whatever food.

The S. invicta wouldn't all out raid the Pheidole nests or vice versa, but the P. obscurithorax would definitely bully them out of certain resources, which is exactly what the S. invicta would do to all other species in my yard. It's nice for the counter balance. And the cool thing? I don't see the Pheidole bully the other smaller, native species like they did the Solenopsis.. but that could just be because those other species don't have the number so the Pheidole don't require a swarm of that size to take whatever resource they're looking for.



I did, however, see a Prenolepis imparis raid on a P. obscurithorax nest. The Pheidole had a big ol grub and they couldn't fit it into their hole. The Prenolepis imparis discovered the grub, and attacked with a MASSIVE swarm. They beat the Pheidole back into their hole, then they blocked the hole, and then they guarded the hole, looking as if they were dropping/spraying formic acid into it whenever the Pheidole would try to unblock the hole or get out. It was absolute domination. It was also winter time, which is when the Preno's are at their most active.

It was pretty insane to watch this species absolutely dominate the seemingly "top dogs" of my yards little ecosystem.

[AntidepressAnt]

Species of this genus are common around here and I like them a lot. Not sure I would like to keep them as pets because of how fast they are (and some sources say they are a bit fussy in captivity, but I have no idea if that's true), but they are fun to watch. I constantly see them in the yard and have never seen them attack people or any other large animal. They can certainly be brutally aggressive towards other ants though. I've personally watched them harassing and killing Odontomachus workers here in the backyard. The scientific literature is also full of info about them. This is from "Ecology of Dorymyrmex flavus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Central Texas, including aspects of competition with Solenopsis invicta Buren" by R. A., Jr. Warriner, R. E. Gold, J. W. Austin:
 

Colonies of D. flavus continue to thrive in Solenopsis invicta Buren infested areas. This is accomplished by being an effective defender of the nest, possessing an ability to seal off tunnels and escape during invasions, spatially occupying soils that are not well suited to S. invicta, occurring in clumps to increase numbers to defend a territory, and being extremely aggressive towards newly mated S. invicta queens, which diminishes future threats of competition.

This is from "Traits allowing some ant species to nest syntopically with the fire ant Solenopsis saevissima in its native range" by Alain Dejean, Bruno Corbara, Régis Céréghino, et al:
 

Dorymyrmex pyramicus workers seldom behave submissively towards S. saevissima (Roux et al., 2013). They possess chemical defenses permitting them to harass S. geminata (Taber, 2000), while a single individual can attack and disperse a column of army ants (Dejean et al., 2013).

This is from "The antipredatory behaviours of Neotropical ants towards army ant raids" by Alain DEJEAN, Bruno CORBARA, Olivier ROUX & Jérôme ORIVEL:
 

Dorymyrmex pyramicus nigrus ROGER, 1863 build their very deep (up to 1.8 m) nests in sandy zones with the nest connected to the opening by a long, thin vertical tunnel that is easy to defend from intruders. Yet, when an Eciton burchellii raid or column was detected by a Dorymyrmex forager, the latter, mandibles open, rushed toward the intruders and likely emitted an alarm pheromone. Indeed, all of the other foragers situated in a radius of 50 - 60 cm changed their behaviour, visibly increasing their speed, most of them running toward the individual that discovered the Eciton. Meanwhile, a group of Dorymyrmex workers left their nest, most of them running in the same direction. The E. burchellii workers, seemingly panicked, avoided any contact with the Dorymyrmex and scattered in all directions. The E. burchellii column re-formed half an hour later, leaving a large space between them and the Dorymyrmex foraging area (and nest) (Tab. 1). Here a single Dorymyrmex worker, although small, can attack an E. burchellii column whose workers panic; this time there is a "propaganda"-like effect, but it is initiated by the raided species (...) Yet, Dorymyrmex insana can be raided by Neivamyrmex nigrescens, whereas the workers of the latter species avoid Forelius pruniosus (ROGER, 1863) nests, another dolichoderine species, whose workers can even climb over the raiders (MIRENDA & al. 1980).

Edited by AntidepressAnt, March 27 2024 - 10:08 AM.