2124 replies to this topic

[Connectimyrmex]

I'm going to check out the tennis courts next week at my Pheidole hunting ground.

 

Lasius latipes, Solenopsis Molesta, Lasius Alienus (1 male alate), Camponotus Pennsylvanicus, Formica Incerta, and Formica Subseriscea flew today/tonight. There was a heavy rainstorm recently.

I caught 1 fertile Formica Subseriscea queen out of all of those flights. She drank an enormous amount of honey.

[noebl1]

Only saw a handful of male alate Temnothorax here, though went out a bit later than normal.

[Connectimyrmex]

I saw an interesting Aphaenogaster queen yesterday. She was bright red and was skinny. I left her alone, because I feared that she had a parasite or something (hence the red color).

 

Approximately how long does it take for a Aphaenogaster nanitic pupa to eclose?

Edited by Connectimyrmex, August 5 2017 - 5:25 AM.

[Salmon]

A bright red Aphaenogaster queen could've been Aphaenogaster tennesseensis. A social parasite.

Edited by Salmon, August 5 2017 - 10:36 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

Cool! Now I think that I should have kept her...

[Connectimyrmex]

Lasius Murphyi, Solenopsis Molesta, and Formica Subseriscea flew yesterday.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, August 6 2017 - 5:40 AM.

[Salmon]

Cool! Now I think that I should have kept her...

Kind of pointless to keep her without an established Aphaenogaster colony to introduce her to.

[Connectimyrmex]

I have an established A. Picea colony.

 

Also, I flipped a rock to find thousands of alate L. Nearcticus queen. I took one and artificially inseminated her with two males. She's looking very healthy!

 

 

Funny story with my Lasius Nearcticus and Lasius Murphyi: I gave a tiny baby centipede to them as food. Unbeknownst to me, it was still alive. One of the smallest workers ran up to the centipede and touched it with her antennae. The centipede then wiggled a bit. The worker then proceeded to shake like a jumping bean for the next 30 minutes. (PS: They ignored the centipede and I gave it back to its mother)

Edited by Connectimyrmex, August 7 2017 - 5:44 AM.

[rdurham02]

Stumbled upon this lady on my morning walk today. I was thinking Lasius Alienus..   

 

[Salmon]

My Pheidole queen appears to have eggs! I didn't take a picture to avoid excess disturbance though.

I might make a journal, but I'll probably wait and see if the colony survives to nanitics first.

[Nathant2131]

I'm back home. Can't wait to see what is flying here.

[Connectimyrmex]

I'm probs wrong, but the L Alienus queen looks an awful lot like Formica. Formica flies in the morning, so it matches up.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, August 8 2017 - 4:28 AM.

[noebl1]

I'm probs wrong, but the L Alienus queen looks an awful lot like Formica. Formica flies in the morning, so it matches up.

 

Good call... 

 

@rdurham02 How many mm is she? L. alienus like the other Lasius are pretty small, around 9mm or so.  If it's bigger than that, it's probably not a Lasius.  I'm also not sure I've ever found a Lasius in the morning as they are afternoon to evening fliers; usually around dusk or at night to lights is when I find them here (though not saying it's impossible.)  

 

I've caught only two L. alienus so far this season; hasn't been great flying weather lately it seems.

[Nathant2131]

I'm probs wrong, but the L Alienus queen looks an awful lot like Formica. Formica flies in the morning, so it matches up.

I agree that it looks more like Formica.

[Connectimyrmex]

I've been seeing lots of Myrmica/Aphaenogaster/Tetramorium/Lasius worker activity. Maybe a flight later.

[Salmon]

Yesterday it was somewhat cold, but I observed a few male Pheidole around a nest a while after rain. I returned after dark and looked around but didn't see any further evidence of flights.

[rdurham02]

 

I'm probs wrong, but the L Alienus queen looks an awful lot like Formica. Formica flies in the morning, so it matches up.

 

Good call... 

 

@rdurham02 How many mm is she? L. alienus like the other Lasius are pretty small, around 9mm or so.  If it's bigger than that, it's probably not a Lasius.  I'm also not sure I've ever found a Lasius in the morning as they are afternoon to evening fliers; usually around dusk or at night to lights is when I find them here (though not saying it's impossible.)  

 

I've caught only two L. alienus so far this season; hasn't been great flying weather lately it seems.

 

She is around 8mm. Could be F. fusca I suppose

Edited by rdurham02, August 8 2017 - 3:15 PM.

[Nathant2131]

Earlier today I found a Tetramorium queen under a rock in my yard with lots of brood (looked like just eggs).

 

Edit: And I totally just found a C. pennsylvanicus dealate walking around. wooooooow.

Edited by Nathant2131, August 9 2017 - 11:46 AM.

[Connectimyrmex]

I saw a weird medium-large reddish queen with hooked fangs (not a velvet ant). She was roughly the size of my Formica incerta queen.

[noebl1]

I saw a weird medium-large reddish queen with hooked fangs (not a velvet ant). She was roughly the size of my Formica incerta queen.

 

Did it look anything like this that I caught last year? 

http://www.formicult...usa/#entry68868

 

Popped my head outside for a minute, and after a month, Temnothorax are still flying... low numbers, but there.  Starting to really rethink my idea that Camponotus are the major species here...