2124 replies to this topic

[noebl1]

Aphaenogaster are very mobile ants and one of the few species we have that are a bit more nomadic. Unlike many ants that dig a hole and basically stay there... they will move nest locations based on season. During the Spring it's not unusual to find them under a piece of wood close to the surface to warm up the brood. There was a study a few years back in Connecticut. I think where they were studying the A. rudis ants, and they set up nest traps for the colonies so they could collect them when the colony relocated to them. Found it:  https://www.hindawi....he/2012/752815/

[ANTdrew]

If you saw the queen up with the colony, then there’s absolutely zero chance it is Tetramorium.

[ConcordAntman]

So, my Phalanx-annex arrived from Tar Heel Ants! I just unpacked it, filled the water towers and nestmate, and added the access tube, though I haven’t opened it for occupancy yet. 

 

[MinigunL5]

Whelp, you know that ahpenogaster queen I caught? Well it was tetramorium. I also caught a tretraorium queen and colony while lifting up a rock. I never though I would see a tetramorium queen at the surface. So now I have a 30 worker colony, and a queen.

I caught a Tetra colony too. There tons of workers but I only aspirated a few hundred.

[MinigunL5]

If you saw the queen up with the colony, then there’s absolutely zero chance it is Tetramorium.

Nope, I found the queen to a massive Tetra colony under a rock yesterday.

[noebl1]

Nope, I found the queen to a massive Tetra colony under a rock yesterday.

 

 

 

Agreed, many species this time of year will move up to the surface as warmer then the ground right now. I should take a pic, under a bag of pavers sand we didn't use last season, there are literally 10s of thousands of Tetramorium and brood directly under it. As the season warms up, they will go back down again and very few at the surface. Queens sometimes do come up shallow areasto warm up.

[ANTdrew]

I see. I’ve never seen them do that here, but I’m in a much warmer place.

[Antcatcherpro3]

If you saw the queen up with the colony, then there’s absolutely zero chance it is Tetramorium.

I know, I thought I would never find the queen at the surface but you had to be at the right place at the right time.

I like how the workers pile up on top of the queen in my colony. And the queen has already laid like 10 more eggs. I thought they wouldn't for a while lol.

Edited by Antcatcherpro3, May 16 2021 - 12:19 PM.

[Chickalo]

I see. I’ve never seen them do that here, but I’m in a much warmer place.

Latitude can make all the difference when it comes to ants behaviour 

[Kaelwizard]

 

If you saw the queen up with the colony, then there’s absolutely zero chance it is Tetramorium.

I know, I thought I would never find the queen at the surface but you had to be at the right place at the right time.

I like how the workers pile up on top of the queen in my colony. And the queen has already laid like 10 more eggs. I thought they wouldn't for a while lol.

 

I actually found a tetra queen just under a rock with her colony once too, but she disappeared almost immediately.

[Antcatcherpro3]

If you were planning to catch them, that's too bad, but if you weren't then that's good.

[Antcatcherpro3]

I gave my colony some honey and they have a massive egg pile already.

[Kaelwizard]

I gave my colony some honey and they have a massive egg pile already.

Be prepared for that to be the case every second of their existence.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Idk if I am lol.

[Chickalo]

 

I gave my colony some honey and they have a massive egg pile already.

Be prepared for that to be the case every second of their existence.

 

Funny you say that, yesterday I was on a call with a fellow Massachusetts anter, and for some reason we were talking about Tetramorium, in which he recently caught a colony of.  I asked "Oh!  Is Tetramorium one of those species that gain a sh*t ton load of brood in their second year?", then he responded "No, Tetramorium is one of those species that gain a sh*t ton load of brood, period."

[Nathant2131]

Camponotus flying in Tyngsboro right now!

[noebl1]

Confirmed, caught several C. americanus and saw 2 C. pennsylvanicus.

[Antcatcherpro3]

Aww man, camponotus are starting to fly here but there hasn't been any big flights yet.

[noebl1]

Ok finally tally for me, 12 C. americanus, already 2 died so down to 10. 1. C. chromaiodes, and countless C. pennsylvanicus (grabbed a few for locals.)  Pretty good sized flight. No Camponotus Myrmentoma seen

[zkublin]

Looks like I will have to go hunting tonight.