3 replies to this topic

[Paulette]

Location: northern New Mexico, 7200 ft elevation

Queen was found in a scrubby field, near houses.

 

The colony from this queen already has hundreds of workers - a very fast producer.

 

If you need photos with different angles on the workers, I can take more photos, as I have 2 pickled in alcohol. Tell me if there is a feature you need to see more clearly in order to ID.

 

The queen at the time she was captured, June 2016. She is large, 14mm.

 

Views of workers, photographed today:

 

 

 

Edited by Paulette, June 15 2017 - 6:11 PM.

[Jonathan21700]

Liometopum?

[Paulette]

Wow, I hadn't even heard of that genus before. I'm hoping for more input, as I'm considering putting this colony into a public exhibit - it would certainly be good to know what it is!

[Paulette]

Here is a photo of part of their setup. The brood pile is visible in one tube. I read that Liometopum apiculatum build some kind of carton-like material in their nests. Could that be what they are building here? They are creating some kind of sculptures!