4 replies to this topic

[Senbonzakura]

Hey I my name is Mike and I am in St. Louis. I recently got really interested in raising ants. Already caught three camponotus queens, and one already has eggs! I am really hoping to catch a tetramorium queen as well as anything else I can find. Hope to learn lots of stuff here and thanks for having me.

[BMM]

Welcome. I'm also from St. Louis. We just had a few nuptial flights here and the Tetramorium flights should start any day now. If you weren't aware, we have Tetramorium tsushimae in St. Louis, not T. sp E, and they're a highly polygynous species, so you can combine multiple queens if you'd like. Also, check out the Midwest Anting thread.

[Senbonzakura]

Its funny that you mention that. I caught a bunch of the Tetramorium in my pool this yesterday morning. (looking barely alive)  I read that the Japanese pavement ants don't really have nuptial flights because the breed in the colony, so I am not sure if the ones I caught are still fully clasutral or not because of that. If that's true it explains why I haven't seen any of the ants in my yard fly.

[BMM]

As far as I know, T. tsushimae have displaced T. sp E in St. Louis and the surrounding areas. According to Japanese ant keepers, they do fly in the summer, although it's hard to say if the flights are as large as other Tetramorium species.

[Aquaexploder]

Welcome!