2124 replies to this topic

[ctantkeeper]

Found three aphaenogaster rudis queens under a rotten log with a pile of eggs and a single larvae. keep you eyes peeled for them as well as Reticulitermes flavipes termite de-alates, which had flown roughly two days ago.

[noebl1]

Hitting 80s today, so keep an eye out for Camponotus.  Not sure if it's quite hot enough, but it's not impossible...

 

I saw some Lasius umbratus again yesterday evening; first time in a bit.

[Nathant2131]

Looks like it's getting very hot this weekend and the beginning of next week.

[Nathant2131]

Tapinoma sessile have flown in MO. Maybe we will see them here soon.

 

Edit: They flew for PA too.

Edited by Nathant2131, June 9 2017 - 3:57 PM.

[Myrmidon]

Good luck anting these next few days. It's finally going to reach the 90's!

 

I'll be working my gardens today so I'll keep an eye out. I've noticed the Tetramorium mounds everywhere and they've definitely been enlarging their entrances for awhile now! Also fun sights: saw a Crematogaster colony heavily foraging in my flowers and the Camponotus are in full force tending to aphids.

[noebl1]

Just came back from a hike looking for potential Pheidole.  On the way back saw a Camponotus alate on the ground.

[Nathant2131]

I wasn't outside a whole lot today but I couldn't find anything. (Hit a high of mid eighties)

Edited by Nathant2131, June 10 2017 - 1:27 PM.

[noebl1]

I wasn't outside a whole lot today but I couldn't find anything. (Hit a high of mid eighties)

 

haha sounds about right.  I was surprised how much I saw today and even different species inhabiting and/or foraging in a 1' square along our driveway.

 

I wasn't 100% successful at my anting today for Pheidole... but think I did find some.  I was hoping to find some of their hills, but really tough with the vast amounts of L. neoniger hills in the area (thousands and thousands.)  Unfortunately no pics as with their size and the 100mm macro lens I had, both with me the camera and the ants would have had to stay pretty still.  However they were small (between 1 and 2mm), black-ish colors ants that were so small that they made the Lasius neoniger that was foraging near by look large.  Looking on antswiki, the minor work's body shape does look about what I saw.  If those were indeed Pheidole, besides the fact they are hard to find here in MA, it makes the idea of finding an alate seem pretty daunting unless you are in the right place at the right time.  Tomorrow I may try to run back up there without a 5 y/o with me, so I can spend a bit more time focusing on the ants to try to get a better ID:)

[Nathant2131]

Oh yeah, there was a huge amount of foraging today. I was at a baseball field and like I said, lots of diversity in baseball fields. Lasius neoniger, Tetramorium caespitum, Crematogaster sp., Formica cf. pallidefulva, Camponotus pennsylvanicus, Campobotus cf. nearcticus all inhabited the baseball field, with the majority of the ants at the edge of the field where forest meets open grassland. The F. pallidefulva really liked nesting at the edge, and foraged heavily on the field itself.

 

I might go night-anting tonight to find some C. americanus, foraging at the very least.

Edited by Nathant2131, June 10 2017 - 1:50 PM.

[noebl1]

I lost count on the number of pics today I took to try to get an ID of these that I believe are Formica sp.   Moved *incredibly* fast and had quite the excavation job going from underground:

[noebl1]

FYI Camponotus are flying right now.

[Nathant2131]

Just found a pennsylvanicus alate. Do C. americanus fly when it is still light out?

Edit: Make that two.

Edited by Nathant2131, June 10 2017 - 2:32 PM.

[Nathant2131]

Strange... I think I just found a Formica deal ate queen roaming around...

[Myrmidon]

Just found a C. chromaiodes alate. Not going to survive though, it had its gaster eaten and is walking around without it. Dinner time for the birds. 

[noebl1]

Found several C. pennsylvanicus, a single C. noveboracensis that had an injury,, and like @Myrmidon, found a single C. Myrmentoma that had it's gaster removed.

 

Tomorrow in the 90s could result in more things flying.

 

@Nathant2131  The two Spring C. americanus I caught were both early evening and were digging founding chambers.  The October drought ejection was at about 10pm at night.

[Bracchymyrmex]

Tetra are flying in PA, just a heads up to y'all in MA, they might start flying up there too.

[noebl1]

@Bracchymyrmex  Thanks for the heads up!

 

FYI Camponotus are still flying, both alates and dealates out right now.

[Aquaexploder]

Lasius Umbratus still flying too (thanks Batspiderfish and Nathant for ID).

[akaant]

Many camponotus flew today.

today's catch.

1 camponotus americanus queen.

2 Camponotus chromaiodes queens.

1 random Formica queen with a small egg batch.

2 camponotus pennsylvaniucs queens.

1 camponotus nearcticus queen.

several camponotus novaeboracensis queens.

I'm sure more will fly soon.

[Nathant2131]

I went anting from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM. In all, I found:

 

• 1 Camponotus sp. male
• 2 Camponotus pennsylvanicus alates
• Roughly 12 Camponotus pennsylvanicus dealates
• 1 Camponotus novaeboracensis dealate
• 1 Formica (?) dealate walking around

I unfortunately could not find any Camponotus americanus, not even a worker.