63 replies to this topic

[CrazyLegs]

Wicked pics Guzzer,

 

I would love a M.nigriscapa queen. I think they are the best looking of the large bull ants.

[Guzzer]

Wicked pics Guzzer,

 

I would love a M.nigriscapa queen. I think they are the best looking of the large bull ants.

 

Thanks - there were so many M.nigriscap ants around.. like SO many. Just not queens.

The photos really don't do them justice - their colouring was super bright red.

[CrazyLegs]

If you find a queen I might be able to trade you somthing for her.   If you can part with her that is.

[Guzzer]

If you find a queen I might be able to trade you somthing for her.   If you can part with her that is.

I would have to find at least 3

 

One for my partner

One for Jordan from Ants Australia (he already asked)

and one for you

 

Hopefully I hit the jackpot!

[CrazyLegs]

I think Jordan already found his.  I hope you do too mate.

[Guzzer]

I think Jordan already found his.  I hope you do too mate.

 

Then that means I only need to find two... How hard can it be?

[CrazyLegs]

Hahaha, no stress mate.

[Guzzer]

Well winter has kicked in and its pretty darn cold down in the southern parts of AUS, so not much ant activity.

 

Though our ants don't seem to hibernate but they have slowed down.

 

Here is a small quick video of my Aphaenogaster taking a woodie roach for the first time:

 

[antaioli]

I'd love an update on your colonies. Great thread!

[Guzzer]

I'd love an update on your colonies. Great thread!

 

Thanks!

 

I'm in Melbourne, Vic. So Even though winter has passed it is still quite cool so the ants still very slow.

It is starting to warm up a bit getting to low 20s - so once they start to move about I will update with some new photos.

[CoolColJ]

Guzzer

 

I'm from Sydney, and thinking of getting an ant queen

 

What would you recommend between Pheidole Sp. or Aphaenogaster Longiceps?

Are the Aphaenogaster much larger?

 

I've never seen an Aphaenogaster Longiceps in person.

While I have a Pheidole Sp. nest in my backyard, at least I didn't realise until yesterday!

 

 

I saw all these tiny ants wandering around and never thought much of them, they are much smaller than the regular black ants I have everywhere in my backyard.

I put a few pieces of nectarine near another different ant entrance, hoping to lure these out - they are around 4-5mm in length and are dark redd'ish/orange with a black gaster (have any idea what these ants are?)

But these ants never seem to be interested in fruit

 

I came back an hour later, and see a trail of these tiny ants leading from the fruit to another hole 1 feet away, and then spotted a big headed soldier ant among them - and then it hit me these were Pheidole SP. ants!

Kinda interesting that this Pheidole nest is 12 inches away from the red/black ants nest in a pavement corner crack, and a black ants nest also within 2 feet of it, and they don't seem to fight.

 

Also saw this Pheidole major move erracticly back to the nest and enter it, which at the time, made me think they must be the same colony as these tiny ants (workers).

Then when I came back 30 mins later, I saw a major (maybe the same major) getting dragged out of the nest by a few tiny workers, like they were trying to pull it apart - which made me question if they were actually from the same colony....

I shoo'ed them away and moved the major away, but it died a few mins later.

I moved it back in front of the nest and tiny workers dragged the body back inside the nest

hmm all very strange....

Edited by CoolColJ, February 1 2018 - 1:49 PM.

[Guzzer]

What would you recommend between Pheidole Sp. or Aphaenogaster Longiceps?

 

Hello CoolColJ,

 

Sorry for the delayed response. Just haven't checked this forum in a while.

 

Both are great beginner ants.

 

Aphaenogaster's are much larger and have a spiderly look to them. Once's I have a really nice coppery sheen.

 

Very active ants - skittish. Some of them forage during the day but you will see larger numbers at sunset - during the evening. 

 

Pheidole are quite small - depending the sp. they move a lot slower but colony growth is much larger. Being a smaller ant, they're escape artists. So just need to be careful.

One of the best things about them are the majors.. a LOT larger than regular workers. Also they can live of seeds with very little protein. This makes it much easier to look after. The eat sun-flower seeds and grass seeds. I usually break it up though I heard if you leave it larger it encourages the colony to develop majors.

 

End of the day its personal preference, both a great ants to start off with.

[CoolColJ]

 

What would you recommend between Pheidole Sp. or Aphaenogaster Longiceps?

 

Hello CoolColJ,

 

Sorry for the delayed response. Just haven't checked this forum in a while.

 

Both are great beginner ants.

 

Aphaenogaster's are much larger and have a spiderly look to them. Once's I have a really nice coppery sheen.

 

Very active ants - skittish. Some of them forage during the day but you will see larger numbers at sunset - during the evening. 

 

Pheidole are quite small - depending the sp. they move a lot slower but colony growth is much larger. Being a smaller ant, they're escape artists. So just need to be careful.

One of the best things about them are the majors.. a LOT larger than regular workers. Also they can live of seeds with very little protein. This makes it much easier to look after. The eat sun-flower seeds and grass seeds. I usually break it up though I heard if you leave it larger it encourages the colony to develop majors.

 

End of the day its personal preference, both a great ants to start off with.

 

 

 

Thanks

 

It turns out I have quite a few Pheidole nests in my backyard!

Tiny workers, but with a few big headed majors, first time I actually noticed them. The majors seems very timid.

Been feeding them small bits of apple when I'm eating one out the back, they seem to like it

And whenever i drop some grass seeds nearby they grab them all

 

A few majors will come out and gorge on the apple, but most only stay for a few seconds and scurry back into the nest

 

There is always a trail of black ants through their nest entrance, but they don't fight

And some red/black gaster mdeium sized ants nest nearby as well (tetramorium bicarinatum?) - again they don't fight

[Guzzer]

 

 

What would you recommend between Pheidole Sp. or Aphaenogaster Longiceps?

 

Hello CoolColJ,

 

Sorry for the delayed response. Just haven't checked this forum in a while.

 

Both are great beginner ants.

 

Aphaenogaster's are much larger and have a spiderly look to them. Once's I have a really nice coppery sheen.

 

Very active ants - skittish. Some of them forage during the day but you will see larger numbers at sunset - during the evening. 

 

Pheidole are quite small - depending the sp. they move a lot slower but colony growth is much larger. Being a smaller ant, they're escape artists. So just need to be careful.

One of the best things about them are the majors.. a LOT larger than regular workers. Also they can live of seeds with very little protein. This makes it much easier to look after. The eat sun-flower seeds and grass seeds. I usually break it up though I heard if you leave it larger it encourages the colony to develop majors.

 

End of the day its personal preference, both a great ants to start off with.

 

 

 

 

 

There is always a trail of black ants through their nest entrance, but they don't fight

And some red/black gaster mdeium sized ants nest nearby as well (tetramorium bicarinatum?) - again they don't fight

 

 

 

My theory is that some ants with variety of sizes.. very small vs very large don't compete for food so there is no real reason to 'fight'.

Since you have a lot a Pheidole in your backyard, just keep an eye out for rain/humid/hot day and you will find your own queen.

 

Also when they fly, they don't fly far.. usually just a few meters away from their nests. Majors usually come out very rarely and are super skittish.

[CoolColJ]

My theory is that some ants with variety of sizes.. very small vs very large don't compete for food so there is no real reason to 'fight'.
Since you have a lot a Pheidole in your backyard, just keep an eye out for rain/humid/hot day and you will find your own queen.
 
Also when they fly, they don't fly far.. usually just a few meters away from their nests. Majors usually come out very rarely and are super skittish.

 
 
Well the many Pheidole nests in my backyard have been building a huge pile of grass seed shells just outside their nests, as well as dirt, they've massively increased the opening size.
1cm wide entrances now for such small ants...
So I think they are getting ready for nupital flights soon 

Edited by CoolColJ, February 17 2018 - 12:15 AM.

[Guzzer]

 

My theory is that some ants with variety of sizes.. very small vs very large don't compete for food so there is no real reason to 'fight'.
Since you have a lot a Pheidole in your backyard, just keep an eye out for rain/humid/hot day and you will find your own queen.
 
Also when they fly, they don't fly far.. usually just a few meters away from their nests. Majors usually come out very rarely and are super skittish.

 
 
Well the many Pheidole nests in my backyard have been building a huge pile of grass seed shells just outside their nests, as well as dirt, they've massively increased the opening size.
1cm wide entrances now for such small ants...
So I think they are getting ready for nupital flights soon 

 

 

 

In my experience Pheidole sp. fyl late in the season. So for us around Marc/April.

[CoolColJ]

Well the many Pheidole nests in my backyard have been building a huge pile of grass seed shells just outside their nests, as well as dirt, they've massively increased the opening size.
1cm wide entrances now for such small ants...
So I think they are getting ready for nupital flights soon

In my experience Pheidole sp. fyl late in the season. So for us around Marc/April.

Well I figure, once I start seeing Magpies in my backyard, then it's either worms or queen ants

I also have 2 different species of Pheidole here.

The black worker, dark red head majors, with the bigger of the two, heads - very passive and timid. The majors act dead when you poke them with a stick or run back to the nest
They also rarely come outside, but i do see a couple here and there, especially when I drop crushed nuts in front of the nest.
More like the ones you have

The other is red, workers and majors, smaller majors, with less big heads. A lot more aggressive than the above, and the majors will come out in force if you drop food near their nest entrance.
As seen here http://www.formicult...dney-australia/
Coastal brown ant?







I also have these big black ants, workers in the 1cm range, that will grab the Pheidole majors and take them back to their nest if they get close to each other.
They don't look like Camponotus ants.

I thought maybe some type of Polyrhachis

Edited by CoolColJ, March 1 2018 - 1:06 PM.

[Guzzer]

 

 

Well the many Pheidole nests in my backyard have been building a huge pile of grass seed shells just outside their nests, as well as dirt, they've massively increased the opening size.
1cm wide entrances now for such small ants...
So I think they are getting ready for nupital flights soon

In my experience Pheidole sp. fyl late in the season. So for us around Marc/April.

 

I also have 2 different species of Pheidole here.
 

 

 

Great photos. Reddish ones look very similar to mine.

 

Once the start flying you don't really need to go far as they fly super close to their nests.

You can also put multiple into the same testtube - even though they're known to have multiple queens, in my experience they end up killing each other until only one is left. 

[CoolColJ]

a photo of the black Pheidole species from my backyard, snacking on crushed almonds

Edited by CoolColJ, March 1 2018 - 5:46 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Hey Guzzer

 

Any idea what time of the day you find Pheidole doing their nupital flights?

 

Last Saturday the Iridomyrmex Bicknelli nests in my driveway had their nupital flights.

A huge amount of activity and massive nest opening enlarging the mornings leading up to it, after a bit of rain

Quite a large pile of dirt as a result. But now it's all closed up

Even on the days leading up to it, I could sometimes see some queen popping their head out of the nest opening.

 

I'm seeing some activity on my backyard Pheidole nests today, large dirt piles etc, and lots of workers