where i am in norcal I've almost never seen solenopsis
There have to be some colonies of Solenopsis in the molesta species complex in your area, as they are very common even though you might not notice them at first. You could also find populations of Solenopsis xyloni in NorCal, likely through iNaturalist observations.
I second this. I'm in socal and had never seen any fire ants around my house, but if I left a blacklight on at night I would find hundreds of solenopsis queens wandering around and even more I would find in my pool during the day. You might not realize just how many are in your area. I'm not sure the exact species but fire ant queens are very easy to obtain during summer flights.
Edit: I say blacklight but I really just meant the LED light we have for our backyard.
Edited by jabasson, September 23 2024 - 10:10 PM.