2124 replies to this topic

[Scherme]

Stuck in an office most of today. Just about to rain here but going to end around 2-3 and then be sunny. Would that be a good time to go outside and check?

[Cindy]

Stuck in an office most of today. Just about to rain here but going to end around 2-3 and then be sunny. Would that be a good time to go outside and check?

The two flights I saw ran between 12:30 and 2:30 when it was super sunny and >70 F

 

I'm not sure if there will be a flight today. I can check the nests near my workplace and update you then.

[noebl1]

I agree with Cindy.  Sun looks like the next potential day for flights as low 80s.

[Cindy]

No flying today. Next flight Sunday if any

[Nathant2131]

Raining here in Dracut. Not expecting anything. This morning I did catch another P. imparis dealate in the grass near a school.

Edited by Nathant2131, April 12 2017 - 9:53 AM.

[Nathant2131]

Strangely i just found it squished and nearly dead must of got banged around too much.

Edited by Nathant2131, April 12 2017 - 10:07 AM.

[Nathant2131]

4/11/17

 

School is  a thing, so I was deprived of being outside  from when I woke up to 2:00 PM. It reached seventies and eighties. When I got home, it was 86-87 F. First, I started walking up to the alate colony and to a park, but there was not even 1 worker under the fence. Only a single P. imparis male walkig around. In the park, all I found was one Tetramorium mound. However, lots of Formica fusca-group foraging along modest forest edges (by a modest forest, I mean a reletively small ecosystem of trees). They are extremely fast. I was making a poor choice of telling whether P. imparis were flying or not only by looking at the colonies I knew about, in which there was nothing to be seen. Only males flying, or so I thought.

 

Later at about 4:00 Where  it was still mid-high eighties, I was observing a heavily foraging Tetramorium colony when I noticed my first queen this season walking around She was wingless. So get this logic:

 

"If me look at ground, queen ant is come to me.  "

 

Which was a lesson I learned. This whole time this week, there were probably queens crawling all over my shoes while I failed to notice that actually looking at the ground would pay off.  I proceeded to catch 8 P. imparis all on the grass in my backyard (4-6 PM) while the tail end of the flight I might have partially missed happened. hooooo boy. 

 

Also caught 3 Lasius cf. umbratus queens trying to find hosts while the flight was happening. They are extremely fast moving and like climbing on artificial stuff; 2/3 queens I caught were on a shed and on a stone pathway- but all in my backyard. They are tougher to spot since they are small.

 

 

4/12/17

 

Wile outside at about 8-9 Am this morning, I was next to a school where it is almost completely grassland, nearest trees about 300 feet off. There were tons and tons of Lasius neoniger mounds with workers constructing them. Also tons of Tetramorium mounds near this area where it is a forest edge. Anyways, I was jogging in the open area. The one time I looked down, there was a dealate P. imparis queen walking in the grass. Must have been a leftover still finding a spot to dig from yesterday's flight.

 

Well, I made a good effort to spend the rest of gym class playing dodgeball while simultaneously holding a queen ant in between 3 sweaty fingers, then having to place it in my gym bag and into my locker, and 5 hours later when school ends, I open the bag to find it with a smooshed gaster and barely alive. I threw it outside to return it to nature. I probaby should have let it be.

 

Its raining in Dracut, and I won't be here from Friday-Sunday or monday, where its supposed to get really warm. I will be in Northern NH where 1: Too cold and 2: No P imparis there. So don't expect much from me for that time period.

 

 

[noebl1]

@Nathant2131  That's a great learning lesson  I find I often look like an antisocial weirdo as my eyes are constantly looking at the ground when walking looking for alates/dealates running.  Then there's that random stop, back up, and closer inspection of something on the ground that is often nothing, so again look strange. hehe  Now that I'm old, sorta don't care what people think anymore.  I do  (at least for me), have an easier time finding them on the driveway or sidewalks.  In the grass is really tough unless I actually see them land.  Amazing how fast they can go straight down when they need to.

[Nathant2131]

@Nathant2131  That's a great learning lesson  I find I often look like an antisocial weirdo as my eyes are constantly looking at the ground when walking looking for alates/dealates running.  Then there's that random stop, back up, and closer inspection of something on the ground that is often nothing, so again look strange. hehe  Now that I'm old, sorta don't care what people think anymore.  I do  (at least for me), have an easier time finding them on the driveway or sidewalks.  In the grass is really tough unless I actually see them land.  Amazing how fast they can go straight down when they need to.

Interesting thing I find with P imparis though is that they will not go on sidewalks or any stone material. ALWAYS in grass. This is for me at least.

Edited by Nathant2131, April 12 2017 - 11:16 AM.

[Cindy]

Same with the grass though I did find a mating pair on a sidewalk curb. I did see at least 5 queens fly off into the distance. 

[randeee]

I have found all my P. Imparis queens on pavement. Only found one on a stump.

[Scherme]

I just observed colonies of P. IMPARIS foraging on all the large trees in my back yard. Going in to be in Newport RI on Sunday though. Maybe I can spot a queen out there.

[Cindy]

Found some neat-looking Formica sp. workers digging tunnels in my front yard. 

 

[Nathant2131]

 

Found some neat-looking Formica sp. workers digging tunnels in my front yard. 

 

Nice. I am yet to find any Formica sp. that aren't fusca-group.

[Cindy]

 

 

Found some neat-looking Formica sp. workers digging tunnels in my front yard. 

 

Nice. I am yet to find any Formica sp. that aren't fusca-group.

 

I'm certain that these are Formica pallidefulva. Weird but I haven't found any fusca-group Formica sp. in my area.

[Nathant2131]

 

 

 

Found some neat-looking Formica sp. workers digging tunnels in my front yard. 

 

Nice. I am yet to find any Formica sp. that aren't fusca-group.

 

I'm certain that these are Formica pallidefulva. Weird but I haven't found any fusca-group Formica sp. in my area.

 

Interesting. Pretty cool how diversity changes only after a few miles.

[Nathant2131]

Tetramorium are extremely active here, and even saw a small war on the side of a sidewalk.

[Nathant2131]

You guys finding anything? I'm stuck in NH where there is still some snow.

[noebl1]

Nothing yet.  Once it broke 70s here, I let my one P. imparis go that was still winged and pulling the cotton vigorously so doubt she was fertile.  I'm not sure she'll make it, but at least a chance vs digging the cotton to death.

 

I moved a pot  and found a lone Myrmica underneath.  Larger than the Myrmecina dealates I have, but small enough I couldn't tell if was a dealate or a worker without magnification.

[Cindy]

Formica pallidefulva are out and foraging. Didn't see anything else though. I might also let one of my P. Imparis queens go (Old original). Not really sure what she was doing out last Saturday on her own.