13 replies to this topic

[Loops117]

Hello all, i was wondering if you guys could help me with my first time. I havent gone out specifically for anting yet, but i have been walking around like a weirdo at the parks while my son plays. I've found new holes in wet dirt that i tried digging up with no success, and have given up on the ground hunt.....at parks...in front of the adults...

 

I do have a place to go that is away from people and is surrounded by woods, marsh land, and open fields. I was going to take a walk down this path before i go, but i have a few questions before i do so.

 

What conditions do you guys wait for? After rain? Sunny days?

How do you spot your queens while in flight? I have a pretty decently trained eye for spotting critters and bugs, so i don't think I'm missing them that much. Something i've done in the past (for bugs in general) is sit on the ground and just scan across the field for flying insects and it has worked out for me. Although, the bugs i've come across are bugs that "Fly hop" to the next area, bees, and other flying foraging bugs. Does anyone else do this? Is there a better method for spotting queens? 

[dspdrew]

This should tell you most everything you need to know about looking for queens. It should answer most of your questions.

 

http://www.formicult...tch-ant-queens/

[AntsTexas]

what i do is, keep ur eye on the nearest/closest ant colony/nest after it rains and the weather is warm and not so windy then go from there and wait for the flight(s)

[sehrgut]

what i do is, keep ur eye on the nearest/closest ant colony/nest after it rains and the weather is warm and not so windy then go from there and wait for the flight(s)

 

Do you get many fertile queens that way? I'm embarking on my first anting season, and I've been hearing that the queens rarely return to the vicinity of their original nests after mating.

[Loops117]

Thank you. I don't wanna say that i was e​embarrassed , but i was the only kid digging in the dirt at the park. lol

[noebl1]

I'm sort of in the same boat... starting out from scratch and impatiently looking around.  So far I've only found a couple parasitic queens which I wasn't prepared for so let them go.  I've already started talking to family/friends/coworkers with pools as they are opening up to keep an eye out for me.  I recall before my interest in this finding ant queens all the time in the skimmer floating (as mentioned in the FAQ link.)  Also got a couple small test tubes with caps in the car, as at work (lots of pavement), I can bring home any I find.  

 

Now that I'm prepared... see if I can *actually* find one or two...  I know this Spring, living in the woods, we can find TONS of carpenter ant varieties when they swarm. However after having a bad infestation of them, really want to avoid that species.

Edited by noebl1, April 15 2016 - 10:21 AM.

[noebl1]

Thank you. I don't wanna say that i was e​embarrassed , but i was the only kid digging in the dirt at the park. lol

My 4 year old was walking around with me last night as we went around our property and along the street.  She held one of the tools for me as wanted to help, so I didn't feel quite as embarrassed

[AntsTexas]

 

what i do is, keep ur eye on the nearest/closest ant colony/nest after it rains and the weather is warm and not so windy then go from there and wait for the flight(s)

 

Do you get many fertile queens that way? I'm embarking on my first anting season, and I've been hearing that the queens rarely return to the vicinity of their original nests after mating.

 

i just watch and wait for the flight(s) i don't pick up queens untill they land after mating, my driveway is near a lot of S. invicta colonys so i just sit and wait!  then pick 'em up, and all the ones i find this way hav all been mated and lay eggs....  i don't know if this is true for other ant colonys, i live in west texs or i would find u some queens....   check out my youtube and facebook page if u want!

(note: i get the ones with no wings)

Edited by AntsTexas, April 15 2016 - 11:24 AM.

[Loops117]

That link helped me out. I have an unused kiddie pool, white sheets, and a bug zapper that no longer zaps, just lights up. Looks like i have almost everything i need.

 

So many more activities   YUS

[Mdrogun]

I have a hard time explaining how I catch queens. Lately I have been pretty busy but I caught 4 Camponotus queens and 1 escaped already . My tactic is just to always have a test tube on you and to look for queens whenever you can. I went up to Minnesota once and I spent a couple hours looking for queens in the woods and I had no luck then I went into town and I saw 4 Lasius neoniger queens on the ground. It seems to be pretty random unless you know when certain species are flying or you are using something to attract them.

[LC3]

I just always look at the ground

I never look for queens I just look at the ground whenever I walk, because of this I'm usually never prepared to catch them. Putting a queen in a lunchbox is one example of me improvising.

 

Other than that I just keep a list of mating flights in mind and take note of any colonies large enough to produce alates.

Edited by LC3, April 15 2016 - 9:55 PM.

[antmaniac]

Be prepared with small zip lock bags, put them in wallet and have a sharp eye, especially during warm season after rain.

[noebl1]

I'm going to do some hiking this weekend to see if we can find any Prenolepis founding colonies near the house.   We definitely missed the flight, and I think I know what night it was a few weeks ago as had a super hot-humid raining night which for the first time for the season, and even the mole salamanders up here started moving down to the ponds to breed.  We live in the middle of the woods, so not a lot of super-easy places to look around the house except for camponotus in May/June swarm by the millions and are everywhere...  which as I mentioned above not really too keen on keeping...  About 1/2 mile from our house there's a bunch of abandoned quarries with sand and rocks everywhere (and tons of flat space).  Hoping to see if I can maybe scope out something there for founders colonies, if not, just hoping I'll get lucky this spring/summer and stumble across some and making sure I'm prepared

Edited by noebl1, April 16 2016 - 5:32 AM.

[Crystals]

I rarely go looking for queens.  I stumble across them, or they find me.  I rarely see ants in flight - they are almost always scurrying across the ground.

I usually find them while walking the dog or while simply doing yard work - especially if it takes me near our large grey driveway.  Of course, this means I normally only spot queens that have a tendency to fly those specific hours, but that does not matter to me.

I usually have a small dollar store container on my dog leash, or in my pocket for when I stumble across queens I wish to collect.  As the years go by, I have noticed that I have gotten fussier and fussier on what I collect. 

 

I do plan on trying the black light one day, just to see if I can catch any nocturnal species that I otherwise miss.