918 replies to this topic

[IcarusSkybound]

This is my first year anting and I remember seeing a few posts from people in my state interested in starting out. I'm making this to help out others and myself. 

 

I was able to catch a Camponotus pennsylvanicus. last week in Virginia Beach but it was by happy accident because she was part of a small colony already. I think they were in the middle of a move at the time. I was taking down a shed today though and found a pretty huge colony with lots of male and female alates. If Camp. pennsylvanicus. isn't flying yet then they should be soon judging by what I saw today. 

[sirjordanncurtis]

Did you also manage to capture some or most of the Camponotus workers from the colony? Once the queen has established a working colony, the workers are pretty important...

[IcarusSkybound]

Did you also manage to capture some or most of the Camponotus workers from the colony? Once the queen has established a working colony, the workers are pretty important...

Yeah, she has a few workers in her test tube already and it looks like she's sitting at 40-50 eggs right now.

[ComedyHotDog]

Thank god someone made a VA anting board! We seem to get left out of most of the conglomerate ones 

 

Used a black light trap last night and saw 8-10 black male alates of a camponotus species in Suffolk.

 

Does anyone know a large pine area I could head to down in Hampton Roads that isn't the GDS? 

Edited by ComedyHotDog, April 15 2018 - 5:48 AM.

[IcarusSkybound]

 Come to think of it, I can't remember seeing pine trees anywhere in HR lol. Are you asking about pine areas because you are looking for a specific species? I'm excited to try to find some crematogaster species this year now that I know they live close by.

[ComedyHotDog]

Oh Loblolly Pines are quite common in HR if you know where to look (I have to count them for work lol) but finding large swaths of un-owned forests to hang out at after sunset seems to be the hard part! I was looking for pine forests because I had luck finding different types of camponotus in that type of woods when I was just flipping logs looking for my first colony, and again last night when I confirmed they flew with a black light trap. 

 

No luck finding Crematogaster in our area so far, but if you want a stinging species I unfortunately found a colony of Solenopsis richteri at Lone Star Lakes when I was going for a walk

[IcarusSkybound]

I’ve found some large crematogaster colonies near my home in Virginia Beach so I’m hoping to find a queen when they start flying later in the year. S. Richteri would be interesting to keep but they’re also quite invasive, destructive, and aggressive if I remember correctly. I think VA even has some laws about moving them to uninfested areas. If I found them near where I live I’d happily try finding a queen, but I won’t go out of my way for that 😂. Thanks for the heads up though!

[IcarusSkybound]

It looks like Tapinoma Sessile have started to fly. I found a queen in Virginia Beach today around 7:00pm. Waiting for yesterday's rain really paid off =D

[IcarusSkybound]

I've found 3 Camponotus Chromaiodes, 4 Camponotus cf. caryae, 1 Camponotus Snellingi, and 1 other queen that I havent IDed yet. 

[ComedyHotDog]

1 Camponotus noveboracensis looking for her founding chamber along a transmition line corridor, Nansemond River 

[IcarusSkybound]

1 Camponotus noveboracensis looking for her founding chamber along a transmition line corridor, Nansemond River 

I wish I was closer! That's one species that I'm looking for.

[ComedyHotDog]

 

1 Camponotus noveboracensis looking for her founding chamber along a transmition line corridor, Nansemond River 

I wish I was closer! That's one species that I'm looking for.

 

Would you like this one? I caught a very small colony of novaeboracensis about 2 months ago and she currently has 20 enclosed pupae about ready to hatch, plus a hibernating castaneus queen I caught 3 months ago has about 20 of her own...needless to say I am about to have my hands full. 

 

If you would like her I'd be more than happy to hand her over! 

[IcarusSkybound]

1 Camponotus noveboracensis looking for her founding chamber along a transmition line corridor, Nansemond River

I wish I was closer! That's one species that I'm looking for.

Would you like this one? I caught a very small colony of novaeboracensis about 2 months ago and she currently has 20 enclosed pupae about ready to hatch, plus a hibernating castaneus queen I caught 3 months ago has about 20 of her own...needless to say I am about to have my hands full.

If you would like her I'd be more than happy to hand her over!

I’d absolutely take her! How much are you looking for for her or would you like to trade? I have a few Camponotus Chromaiodes queens with brood if you are interested .

[ComedyHotDog]

 

 

 

1 Camponotus noveboracensis looking for her founding chamber along a transmition line corridor, Nansemond River

I wish I was closer! That's one species that I'm looking for.

Would you like this one? I caught a very small colony of novaeboracensis about 2 months ago and she currently has 20 enclosed pupae about ready to hatch, plus a hibernating castaneus queen I caught 3 months ago has about 20 of her own...needless to say I am about to have my hands full.

If you would like her I'd be more than happy to hand her over!

I’d absolutely take her! How much are you looking for for her or would you like to trade? I have a few Camponotus Chromaiodes queens with brood if you are interested .

 

We don't even know if she'll product brood yet. she's all yours, just pay it forward! I had a lot of fun hiking through the woods to ultimately find her anyway  

 

I'll be out of town all weekend and I work regular 9-5. Besides that I can meet up whenever 

[IcarusSkybound]

1 Camponotus noveboracensis looking for her founding chamber along a transmition line corridor, Nansemond River

I wish I was closer! That's one species that I'm looking for.

Would you like this one? I caught a very small colony of novaeboracensis about 2 months ago and she currently has 20 enclosed pupae about ready to hatch, plus a hibernating castaneus queen I caught 3 months ago has about 20 of her own...needless to say I am about to have my hands full.

If you would like her I'd be more than happy to hand her over!

I’d absolutely take her! How much are you looking for for her or would you like to trade? I have a few Camponotus Chromaiodes queens with brood if you are interested .

We don't even know if she'll product brood yet. she's all yours, just pay it forward! I had a lot of fun hiking through the woods to ultimately find her anyway

I'll be out of town all weekend and I work regular 9-5. Besides that I can meet up whenever

Sweet! I’m actually free up until next Wednesday. Send me a pm and we can set something up

[ComedyHotDog]

Looks like an apheaenogaster is swarming today down in VB. Currently ~11 and watching multiple colonies swarm on my job site, even found a mated queen.

[IcarusSkybound]

Looks like an apheaenogaster is swarming today down in VB. Currently ~11 and watching multiple colonies swarm on my job site, even found a mated queen.

Have a good site in mind? I'm by Town Center and I'm about to get off work. Can you post a picture of some of them?

[ComedyHotDog]

 

Looks like an apheaenogaster is swarming today down in VB. Currently ~11 and watching multiple colonies swarm on my job site, even found a mated queen.

Have a good site in mind? I'm by Town Center and I'm about to get off work. Can you post a picture of some of them?

 

No, unfortunately I worked pretty late at the site today and just checked up here. I was working in a backyard on wolfsnare creek in a tidal flooding area and the ant activity was very high. So Id say somewhere such as that would be your best bet. I wasnt able to take a picture of the swarming since I was working, but I will upload the queen I caught. 

 

Oh, and yesterday about mid day I saw a Camponotus castaneus drone on the side of a house in Portsmouth. Not sure how long they can survive without mating but it might mean something... 

[IcarusSkybound]

 

 

Looks like an apheaenogaster is swarming today down in VB. Currently ~11 and watching multiple colonies swarm on my job site, even found a mated queen.

Have a good site in mind? I'm by Town Center and I'm about to get off work. Can you post a picture of some of them?

 

No, unfortunately I worked pretty late at the site today and just checked up here. I was working in a backyard on wolfsnare creek in a tidal flooding area and the ant activity was very high. So Id say somewhere such as that would be your best bet. I wasnt able to take a picture of the swarming since I was working, but I will upload the queen I caught. 

 

Oh, and yesterday about mid day I saw a Camponotus castaneus drone on the side of a house in Portsmouth. Not sure how long they can survive without mating but it might mean something... 

 

I actually checked a known castaneus nest today and they were all either gone or deep underground. I think they flew a few weeks ago or so because I saw them hanging around the entrance with a bunch of alates. 

[ComedyHotDog]