10 replies to this topic

[AntidepressAnt]

Some pics of cool ants around the house.

 

Leafcutters (not sure if Atta or Acromyrmex) attacking candle bush (Senna alata).

 

 

 

They formed a big trail that went over the wall, so I couldn't follow them to their nest, but here is the nest entrance of leafcutters living in my cousin's garden, which is fairly close.

 

 

In this cashew tree, black Crematogaster workers were gathering around the rope of a swing. Cephalotes ants were very close, but the two species seemed indifferent to each other.

 

 

 

Not an ant, but still relevant, I believe this is an adult antlion. I don't know much about neuropterans though.

 

Edited by AntidepressAnt, June 14 2024 - 9:22 AM.

[AsdinAnts]

Super jealous of you right now lol
You have cephalotes, crematogaster, and leafcutters near you? Amazing.

[kalimant]

Atta are larger usually, have 3 pairs of spines and a smooth exoskeleton (in addition to huge majors)...those look like Atta, though the pics are small.

 

And the other looks like Cephalotes sp, not Crematogaster.

[ANTdrew]

Atta are larger usually, have 3 pairs of spines and a smooth exoskeleton (in addition to huge majors)...those look like Atta, though the pics are small.

And the other looks like Cephalotes sp, not Crematogaster.

Look closely, there are two types of ants in the photo.

[kalimant]

 

Atta are larger usually, have 3 pairs of spines and a smooth exoskeleton (in addition to huge majors)...those look like Atta, though the pics are small.

And the other looks like Cephalotes sp, not Crematogaster.

Look closely, there are two types of ants in the photo.

 

 

ha! I did miss the small Crematogaster...had to make it larger

[AntidepressAnt]

Super jealous of you right now lol
You have cephalotes, crematogaster, and leafcutters near you? Amazing.

Living in the tropics you get to see a lot of interesting critters all year round, but that could be both a good and a bad thing... Even the leafcutters, as cool as they are, can be a real pest in gardens as you can see! They completely defoliated my candlebush, but most of my other plants had only a bit of damage. I'm kinda stumped about trying to control them, as I prefer not to use pesticides if that's an option. At first I thought about making some sort of small water ditch around the plants they attack the most, but I realized I would just end up with a ton of mosquitoes. Does anyone have some ideas?

[AsdinAnts]

Yea, I see what you mean now.

You could try to sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the plant, as to deter the leafcutters.
You could also try potting the plants, and planting some mint plants alongside them.
(idrk anything about them so don’t take my words to seriously 😅)

[ANTdrew]

Yea, I see what you mean now.

You could try to sprinkle some diatomaceous earth around the plant, as to deter the leafcutters.
You could also try potting the plants, and planting some mint plants alongside them.
(idrk anything about them so don’t take my words to seriously 😅)

Diatomaceous earth is a good idea, but it would get washed away easily.

[IdioticMouse26]

Aw man! I'm so jealous! I wish my backyard had such amazing varietys of ants(not that ants in my backyards aren't cool). Also, the Cephalotes sp looks so adorable! Truly shows such wonderous diverstiy of ants. 

[AntidepressAnt]

Diatomaceous earth does sound worth a try!

 

By the way guys, I believe the Cephalotes colony living in that cashew tree was the origin of the queen I caught months ago and I talked about in this topic: https://www.formicul...got-a-new-queen

 

Sadly that queen didn't make it, died without laying a single egg as far as I could tell, a real shame. These are pretty interesting ants. This colony is living close to the Crematogaster with no apparent issues, makes me wonder if this is a case of parabiotic association. I'm not sure if they are sharing nests though, as I can't find entrances.

Edited by AntidepressAnt, June 14 2024 - 4:44 PM.

[ANTdrew]

A moat around the bush could also work. You could fill it with another liquid like oil, or use mosquito dunks, which have a bacteria that kills mosquito larvae if you filled it with water. Not sure if those are available in Brazil, but they are a wonderful product to naturally prevent mosquitos.