2124 replies to this topic

[ConcordAntman]

I pop the dubias straight in the freezer as soon as I open the box. I serve them cut in half and thawed.

ANTdrew, they like ‘em!

[ANTdrew]

Got some noob-ish questions. Do you rehydrate the roaches with a drop of water? Also, how long do these frozen roach-sicles keep?

The roaches don’t dry out if you freeze them quick, so you don’t need to rehydrate. They thaw super quick, too.

[ConcordAntman]

Both the C. pennsylvanicus and C. americanus love the Dubia roaches. How do you keep them from taking the carcasses into the nest?

Oh, I forgot to mention that I euthanized my dead queen’s colony today. The formicarium is drying after being cleaned. I’ll be ready next month for the nuptial flights. 

Edited by ConcordAntman, April 7 2020 - 7:00 PM.

[ANTdrew]

I haven't cracked that code yet. My ants dump trash everywhere.

[Aquaexploder]

Hey guys, should have posted this yesterday, but P. Imparis flew yesterday here in Rhode Island.

[ConcordAntman]

I haven't cracked that code yet. My ants dump trash everywhere.

Tell me about it! I find C. pennsylvanicus are more messy eaters than C. americanus. I see some have suggested pinning the carcasses down but I don't think I can do that in a THA Phalanx outworld. The sand is stuck to an underlayer of grout. Don't want to crack the underlayer. 

Edited by ConcordAntman, April 8 2020 - 12:13 PM.

[ConcordAntman]

Great news on two fronts. This is the first time I’ve captured a C. americanus worker foraging (of course she’s tearing into the mealworm over the Dubia roach when they never touched them before).

 

For me this is huge! I’d had an earlier colony loss in the summer of 2018 and was able to purchase a C. americanus colony locally (thanks Akaant). I thought my protein regimen was sufficient (my C. pennsylvanicus were growing with 12-20 nanitics from founding to their first diapause) but my C. americanus had different “tastes”. They didn’t like chicken, fruit, or mealworms. They appeared to be the most timid foragers of my colonies to the point that over nearly 9 months, I’d never seen a forager feeding from the solid food I’d placed in their feeding dish. As an aside, according to what I’ve read in the Field Guide and from observation it seems that C. americanus forages more actively in the dark compared to C. pennsylvanicus (who seem to chow down anytime). Well, they actually do eat! With the foragers accepting Dubia roaches as a protein source, the queen now has enough protein to begin laying eggs. A first since last summer! I tried to shoot a picture but she and her daughters have her and the eggs sequestered so far in the back of the chamber that I can’t get enough light to create an image. Thanks Akaant and ANTdrew for your feeding advice!

 

[Fitzysgto]

Hello everyone. just checking in. We are almost up to the time of nuptial flights of the common carpenter ant. 

Tonight i came home to a ton load of carpenter ants in my trash can eating what was left of my Motts apple sauce container. So they are out and ready to forest. 

[ConcordAntman]

Both the C. pennsylvanicus and C. americanus love the Dubia roaches. How do you keep them from taking the carcasses into the nest?

I haven't cracked that code yet. My ants dump trash everywhere.

Depending on the construction of your formicaria’s habitat section, I might have a solution. My C. pennsylvanicus are much messier than my C. americanus. They use the lower galleries for living space and the upper galleries for trash. The upper galleries were filled with mealworm and Dubia roach carcasses. I was wondering how I’d clean this mess without disrupting the brood pile or panicking the ants. 
 

I have THA Phalanx formicaria. I’d bought an aspirator to use as a vacuum cleaner. Its tubing just fits through the nestmate port. It allowed me to clean the upper right chamber.

 

 

I had to open the glass to clean the upper left and center chambers but the workers were so busy moving eggs, larvae, and pupae, to the back of the chamber, that none escaped! If you have access to your habitat through either a watering port or a connecting passageway, and if you have small enough diameter tubing to fit through the access you can use your aspirator as a vacuum cleaner. 

[ConcordAntman]

We’re supposed to be in the beginning of Camponotus spp. nuptial flights but the weather seems pretty inhospitable. Do you think the flights will be delayed this year?

[noebl1]

We’re supposed to be in the beginning of Camponotus spp. nuptial flights but the weather seems pretty inhospitable. Do you think the flights will be delayed this year?

 

 

Last year we had a similar weather pattern, and they were messed up for sure.

Here's some numbers I've observed in the last few years:

Year Day Approx Time Species Quantity Notes:
2017 4/28 7:00 PM Camponotus 1
2017 5/17 9:00 PM Camponotus N/A
2017 5/18 2:00 PM Camponotus N/A
2017 5/19 7:30 AM Camponotus 1
2017 5/22 8:38 AM Camponotus 1
2017 6/10 5:00 PM Camponotus N/A Large flight
2017 6/11 11:46 AM Camponotus N/A
2017 6/11 6:57 AM Camponotus 1
2017 6/11 9:00 PM Camponotus N/A
2017 6/13 10:00 PM Camponotus N/A
2017 6/17 3:00 PM Camponotus N/A
2017 6/29 1:40 PM Camponotus 1

2018 5/3 5:00 PM Camponotus 25 small flight, mostly C. pennsylvanicas, and a couple Myrmentoma. Queens only observed
2018 5/17 5:30 PM Camponotus N/A small flight, mostly C. pennsylvanicas, C. americanus and C. noveboracensis. Queens only observed.  Mostly caught after 9pm with flashlights
2018 5/25 9:39 PM Camponotus 15 12 queens, 3 drones all C. pennsylvanicus
2018 5/26 2:30 PM Camponotus 2 C. pennsyvanicus alates
2018 5/29 5:10 PM Camponotus 1 Drone
2018 5/29 9:30 PM Camponotus 13 12 C. pennsylvanicas and 1 C. nearcticus dealates
2018 5/31 9:30 PM Camponotus 1 Drone
2018 6/24 6:00 PM Lasius interjectus 1 Alate queen in jaws of assassin bug
2018 6/28 6:00 PM Lasius interjectus N/A Mock flight, but very large, rain caused abort
2018 6/28 10:00 PM Lasius interjectus 1 Caught while blacklighting, colony showed workers at enterances, but no signs of local alates
2018 6/29 5:45 PM Lasius interjectus N/A Giant flight, last until about 7PM
2018 6/29 7:45 PM Camponotus 2 Found a couple degastered alates
2018 6/30 10:00 AM Tetramorium N/A Larger flight, flew in the AM, found several drones and queens
2018 6/30 7:00 PM Lasius interjectus N/A Large flight, but smaller than yesterday
2018 6/30 9:00 PM Tetramorium N/A Caught some fresh male and queen alates on the black light
2018 6/30 10:00 PM Camponotus N/A Found drones on black light and around driveway, small numbers
2019 5/20 6:50 PM Camponotus 4 Small fliight, over 2 hours saw two male and two female alates, Likely a false flight/accidental ejection 

2019 5/22 3:20 PM Camponotus 1 Likely a false flight/accidental ejection as single queen alate
2019 5/25 3:20 PM Camponotus 1 Likely a false flight/accidental ejection as single queen alate
2019 5/26 8:00 PM Camponotus N/A Small C. pennsylvanicus flight. C. nearcticus flights, likely early as finding stragglers/gasterless mostly
2019 5/27 5:45 PM Camponotus N/A Small C. pennsylvanicus flight. C. nearcticus flights
2019 5/31 5:45 PM Camponotus N/A Small C. pennsylvanicus flight. C. nearcticus flights
2019 6/1 4:30 PM Camponotus N/A Large C. pennsylanicus flight. C. nearcticus flights
2019 6/5 12:30 PM Camponotus N/A Large C. pennsylanicus flight. C. nearcticus flights
2019 6/19 5:00 PM Tetramorium 1 Single dead male alate, likely flew that morning
2019 6/28 12:00 PM Camponotus 1 Single queen dealate

 

There were no large flights last year at all for them, AND they flew into July, normally they tail off in early July here. I found a note there was a good sized flight for them July 20th 2019, not typical at least for what I have observed in the past.

[RushmoreAnts]

Wow! Is this info in the Queen Spotting/Mating Chart?

Edited by AntsDakota, April 24 2020 - 1:00 PM.

[noebl1]

Wow! Is this info in the Queen Spotting/Mating Chart?

Here's the full Google Doc of observations from Massachusetts, I got a bit lazy end of last season due to having too many ants, so didn't got out as much to observe.

 

https://docs.google....hZwg/edit#gid=0

[RushmoreAnts]

If only we could all be this thorough.

[noebl1]

If only we could all be this thorough.

My favorite was the Dolichoderus queen that walked across my desk at work because they had taken the filter out to do some work

[RushmoreAnts]

I once found a Camponotus novaeboracensis queen by my washing machine  .

[ConcordAntman]

I found my first C. pennsylvanicus queen walking across my living room floor😱!

[ConcordAntman]

ConcordAntman, on 24 Apr 2020 - 3:55 PM, said:

We’re supposed to be in the beginning of Camponotus spp. nuptial flights but the weather seems pretty inhospitable. Do you think the flights will be delayed this year?

 

 

Last year we had a similar weather pattern, and they were messed up for sure.

Well, if it ever warms up, I hope the flights run often and late. I’ve got another formicarium to fill!

[noebl1]

Last year we had a similar weather pattern, and they were messed up for sure.

Well, if it ever warms up, I hope the flights run often and late. I’ve got another formicarium to fill!

 

haha I hear ya. It all depends on if we get a warm/humid weather pattern for a bit.  The Camponotus Myrmentoma subgenus will fly if it's cooler, likely why I think they earlier season fliers.   However this looks super depressing... https://www.weather.gov/phi/longrange

[ANTdrew]

We’re in the same boat here in VA. WAY too cold for any flights and no change in sight. It was a warm winter and now a cold spring, pretty depressing.