5 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

rained a bit a few days ago

 

There is this nest in my driveway pavement crack, and I've seen a ton of activity and huge amount of dirt piled up after the recent rain every morning at around 7:30am

Well today, Saturday Morning, when I came back from work, at 9am, I see even more activity and spotted a few smaller males and one winged queen outside the nest entrance.

 

So I think this is it, nupital flight time

 

Medium sized black ants, I think they Iridomyrmex sp, they move around like crazy black ants

 

 

Hard to tell that there are a lot of ants in this quick snap on my crappy phone, but you can see a winged queen in the middle, and 2 smaller males to her right

 

 

Probably not gonna bother catching these, as I don't like this type of ant

Edited by CoolColJ, March 2 2018 - 2:39 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Better pics, hard to get a good pic as the sun is shining hard on the nest right now

 

Don't think they have begun flights yet, but I see queens leaving and reentering the nest, while a few males hang around the outside, and a ton of worker activity

 

 

queen emerging

 

worker closer up - maybe you guys can ID them

Edited by CoolColJ, March 2 2018 - 3:11 PM.

[AnthonyP163]

That's Iridomyrmex. Probably Iridomyrmex bicknelli .

Edited by AnthonyP163, March 2 2018 - 10:19 PM.

[CoolColJ]

I guess they did fly last Saturday, because this week there is way less activity around the nest

 

Also there is another nest and pile of soil 1 metre away, same species.

This morning i saw a worker there dragging a wingless black queen carcass, I guess one of the ones from last Saturday that didn't make it...

[CoolColJ]

I saw a new pile of dirt and lots of worker activity again yesterday and thought, are they flying again already?

 

I walked past today, and saw a queen pop out for a sec, and a bunch of males

And it looks like are at it again this morning?!

 

According to nuptial charts here, these fly early in the season in September, so they are doing it again, and so often

 

a few males

 

Edited by CoolColJ, March 11 2018 - 2:58 PM.

[CoolColJ]

Nest was dead this morning, it had been raining.

 

 

Then later in the afternoon, when I went to check the mail box, I saw a massive ant trail from this nest and the one below it to a hole in a large pot plant a few metres away.

A big stream of workers with eggs and larvae

 

Guess they got sick of being flooded by the rain