6 replies to this topic

[byungkyulee]

 

 

It was my second time anting myself, and I caught a Formica queen totally by luck.

But I would like to at least know what I am doing next time.

 

 

 

1. Image above is the trail where I found this queen. It's definitely a trail path for hikers but quiet and not so many people around. Does it seem like a good spot? Or are there more possibilities to find queens off of trail paths for hikers? What kind of place should I look for in general to find more queens?

 

2. There is no chance that I can find new queens around the place where I can see a lot of worker ants from different colonies right?

 

3. Is there any tip or advice that can help me find more queens?

 

4. Queens usually have bigger chest and butt, but I also found that Queens way slower than worker ants. Most of the workers I found were so fast, sometimes my eyes cannot follow. But this queen was way slower, I could easily catch her with forceps (the ones with weaker grab that don't hurt the insect).

 

Thank you for reading.

Edited by byungkyulee, June 16 2024 - 8:37 PM.

[ReignofRage]

Depending on the area, off-trail areas are better. However, a lot of designated trails that are as outlined as in that picture typically have rules/ettique about not going off-trail due to "tragedy of the commons." Usually, the further away a trail is from development, the better the diversity and density will be. On that trail, you would probably have decent luck just flipping every stone and log you pass that are within a few feet of the trail. You can find queens in close proximity to colonies, but the chance of finding a queen that's within a foot or two of a colony entrance where workers will aggressively defend their nest is more unlikely. Some queens will run fast and some will be slender, so if you think there's a chance it could be a queen, grab it. There's no harm in getting a mix of workers and queens rather than passing up a queen thinking that it was a worker. 

[ANTdrew]

1) Trails can be very good spots to search. The best places to look will have very little human disturbance and a high density of native vegetation. Edge habitats, for example where a forest meets a clearing, will have the highest diversity.
2) Seeing worker ants around does not mean you can’t find queens.
3) Learn the times and climatic conditions that trigger flights for your target species, then just spend lots of time outside in good habitats. Always have some snap cap vials in your pocket since you never know when you’ll see a queen.

[Stubyvast]

Yup always carry some containers to catch ants. I also always have a pair of tweezers just in case. I think that although workers are generally hostile towards newly mated queens, that doesn't mean they won't be near the nest. Sometimes they'll even re-enter the nest (the case of myrmica rubra) and overwinter there before establishing a new nest, or even simply staying and laying eggs for the mother colony. 

I would suggest being especially alert in evenings and mornings, if possible. Ants like to have their nuptial flights then, especially if it's warm and humid. 

[kiedeerk]

Congrats on your first queen unfortunately it looks to be a parasitic Formica sp therefore not the ideal first queen to start your colony

If you want to keep her you should read up on how to raise parasitic/slave making Formica

[The_Gaming-gate]

1: Seems like a good spot- a good strategy I use sometimes for finding locations is to find a mature colony or two, make an imaginary circle around it where I shouldn’t go in to avoid catching unmated alates, and then make a second, larger imaginary circle where possibly mated queens could have came from those mature colonies. I managed to actually find the flight itself with this tactic, along with about 20 lone queens. (A few died, a few escaped, and I have the rest. Carpenter ants are skilled at burrowing through cotton.)

2: You can find matedqueens around workers- this is where I found my Contestants from my multi queen Solenopsis invicta journal.

3: Go anting on warm days a day or two after a rainstorm. Queens prefer humid conditions, presumably because at soil is easy to dig in.


4: Carpenter ant queens, in my experience, are extremely fast.

Edited by The_Gaming-gate, June 29 2024 - 6:53 PM.

[ZATrippit]

I've found that queens tend to be much faster in direct sunlight, likely to avoid predator detection.

Edited by ZATrippit, June 30 2024 - 1:40 PM.