9 replies to this topic

[TheElf2020]

I apologize if this is a very newbie question. I live in the LA area and I would love to take my kids to see a large ant colony. Does anyone know there is such a colony on display, maybe at the Natural History Museum or Science Center, or perhaps somewhere else in the LA area?

 

 

 

[drtrmiller]

http://zoo.sandiegoz...leaf-cutter-ant

 

Edited by drtrmiller, December 1 2014 - 7:56 PM.

[Gregory2455]

I think the closest you will get is the San Diego Zoo, where I think an Atta cephalotes colony is being kept. Atta cephalotes are a species of leaf cutter ant.

[dspdrew]

About four months ago I provided Los Angeles Museum of Natural History with a couple Pogonomyrmex colonies for an exhibit they supposedly have, so you might want to check there.

[TheElf2020]

Thank you all. One of the entomology curators at the LA Natural History Museum just emailed me: "In our museum Nature Lab there is a small living ant colony displaying under  a glass box." I will check it out and try to get to San Diego as well.

[Tpro4]

Take some pictures and post it in the forum.

[LAnt]

At the California Science Center, right next to the NHM and free, they have a pogonomyrmex above ground display and a myrmecocystus (honey pots) below ground view. Its part of their environments exhibit, in the desert room. They also got tortoises. Heres a picture that's not mine.This would be my dream outworld.

Edited by LAnt, December 2 2014 - 6:11 PM.

[Gregory2455]

Apparently, those Pogonomyrmex are from Drew...

[LAnt]

I don't think so. These have been there longer.

[dspdrew]

Well, if I remember right, she said they had a P. rogosus display, but the queen died. She then got a P. subnitidus and a P. rugosus from me to replace them with. She also described the nest to me, so without seeing the actual nest as well as the out world, it would be hard to say.