6 replies to this topic

[Gemmawemma]

1. Location of collection is Santee San Diego

2. collected 9/30/2016
3. sandy hillside, the only other ant present in this area that i am aware of is Pogonomyrmex Rugosus
4.  2 mm while the ant that i believe to be a queen is approx 3mm
5. orange to yellowish/red
6. striped gaster 
7. distinctive transparent gaster
8. small mounds with rocky loose gravel
 

I found more than one of these per colony

 

Edited by Gemmawemma, September 30 2016 - 10:52 PM.

[Gregory2455]

Forelius mccooki or pruinosus.

[Gemmawemma]

Thank you!!

[James C. Trager]

I've always had the sense these would be hard to keep in captivity, because they're so speedy and require higher tempreaturess for optimum activitiy and health than most other ants. 
Keep us posted on how it goes with maintaining this colony. 

[kudofo]

Good find Gemm! I have 4 argentine ant queens I caught 2 days ago. I need a bigger species for my new formicariums! I offered to grab that cremegastor from dpsdrew.

[Gemmawemma]

Good find Gemm! I have 4 argentine ant queens I caught 2 days ago. I need a bigger species for my new formicariums! I offered to grab that cremegastor from dpsdrew.

 

 

The queen and her workers seem to be getting used to their new home quite well! 

 

They are in a 50/50 mix of native soil and a substrate which includes, sand, lava rock, pumice. i think they really like the porosity of the lava, its giving them a safe place to store their brood where the likelyhood of them getting crushed is relatively low. I still think i need an outworld for them, and Id like to get more information on how to care for them. 

 

I went searching for argentine queens but i couldn't find the entrance to the nest. The crematogaster for $30? I too need a larger species of ant. These are so cool but they are kind of hard to see, and my pogonomyrmex rugosus has no queen so I too am searching. 

Edited by Gemmawemma, October 2 2016 - 1:34 PM.

[Vendayn]

I've always had the sense these would be hard to keep in captivity, because they're so speedy and require higher tempreaturess for optimum activitiy and health than most other ants. 
Keep us posted on how it goes with maintaining this colony. 

They are actually really easy. Just keep them with a heat lamp and a warmer place like a garage and they thrive. One of the easiest ants I've ever kept.

 

However, they need a combination of fluon+olive oil as separate barriers or they do escape. Usually I do fluon on top and olive oil underneath. Use a towel (not a napkin, but a dish towel) to rub the olive oil and then dry it off slightly. Doing that, the olive oil itself lasts for months. I've tried other cooking oils but they don't work nearly as good. Maybe olive oil just by itself is fine (and I've done just that), but I really like adding that extra defense of fluon.

 

But, yeah Forelius pruinosus/mccooki like to escape if given a chance, but are easy enough to contain. They grow at a good speed (and not so fast like Solenopsis invicta), fun to watch, eat pretty much everything (so diet isn't an issue at all) and probably the easiest to care for ant species I've ever kept. I can't really think of an ant species (in Southern California) that could be any easier.

Edited by Vendayn, October 27 2016 - 10:00 PM.