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District, Maryland, & Virginia Queen Watch

Started By IcarusSkybound , Apr 14 2018 12:16 PM

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918 replies to this topic

#441 Offline FeedTheAnts - Posted September 9 2020 - 7:49 AM

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Crematogaster alates are gathering outside my backyard nest. They may fly today.

I may have to catch some.... The Valentines are gone..... I left on a trip last week and the colony escaped into my room. All that's left is 300 workers and I'm not sure the queen is there. THIS SUCKS!!!!

Oh, and they killed my Camponotus chromaiodes on their way out. The Camponotus were in the mini hearth that had a small gap.


Edited by FeedTheAnts, September 9 2020 - 7:51 AM.

I accidentally froze all my ants 

#442 Offline Antkeeper01 - Posted September 9 2020 - 7:50 AM

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Ouch!!!!!!


1X Pogonomyrmex occidentalis 40-50 Workers

1X Solenopsis molesta 10 Workers (mono)

Ants I Want: Crematogaster sp, Camponotus Sp., Ponera Pennsylvanica, Mymercocystus sp.

 

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#443 Offline TennesseeAnts - Posted September 9 2020 - 7:59 AM

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Crematogaster alates are gathering outside my backyard nest. They may fly today.

I may have to catch some.... The Valentines are gone..... I left on a trip last week and the colony escaped into my room. All that's left is 300 workers and I'm not sure the queen is there. THIS SUCKS!!!!

Oh, and they killed my Camponotus chromaiodes on their way out. The Camponotus were in the mini hearth that had a small gap.

 

They've been flying here almost every week since February...


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#444 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 9 2020 - 8:53 AM

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
How did they escape? I can set you up with a new queen if you’d like, but I know there’s no replacing a colony like that.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#445 Offline Antkid12 - Posted September 9 2020 - 8:59 AM

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Crematogaster alates are gathering outside my backyard nest. They may fly today.

I may have to catch some.... The Valentines are gone..... I left on a trip last week and the colony escaped into my room. All that's left is 300 workers and I'm not sure the queen is there. THIS SUCKS!!!!

Oh, and they killed my Camponotus chromaiodes on their way out. The Camponotus were in the mini hearth that had a small gap.

 

What!!!?? 


Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#446 Offline FeedTheAnts - Posted September 9 2020 - 9:04 AM

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They chewed through a plastic stopper on the Hybrid Nest. Third time they've done it too(I had repaired the other two with a layer of glue-logged cotton). If I start another colony then I'd like to catch the queen myself, but thanks. 

btw, it took an hour to vacuum the ants out of my room. I gave up hope of gathering the colony back once I noticed nests on the floor in pieces of tubing I had left out and ants foraging in my bathroom.

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
How did they escape? I can set you up with a new queen if you’d like, but I know there’s no replacing a colony like that.


Edited by FeedTheAnts, September 9 2020 - 9:06 AM.

I accidentally froze all my ants 

#447 Offline KitsAntVa - Posted September 9 2020 - 9:05 AM

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Wow I have currently have a colony of lineolata and Cersei are bigger and they still escaped I may have some trouble on my hands.
We don’t talk about that

#448 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 9 2020 - 12:00 PM

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Man, that’s so tragic! Those 3D printed stoppers are crap. I wish THA had stuck with the rubber stoppers, but I figure it’s a cost cutting measure. You can’t cut corners with Crematogaster, though, or you get a disaster like this. So sad.
"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#449 Offline FeedTheAnts - Posted September 9 2020 - 7:51 PM

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I wish THA had stuck with the rubber stoppers, but I figure it’s a cost cutting measure. 

You mean AC? It was the a stopper from the Hybrid.


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I accidentally froze all my ants 

#450 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 10 2020 - 2:36 AM

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No, I mean Tar Heel Ants. They used to come with sturdy rubber stoppers that would fully plug holes. Now they come with the 3D printed stoppers, which are obviously cheaper to make but lesser quality, too. My Divas had no trouble slipping out gaps they chewed in the new plugs in their Nucleus, so I sealed them with glue.
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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#451 Offline AleeGuy - Posted September 10 2020 - 6:05 PM

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Today at about 6:50pm caught 1 crematogaster, and I found lasius(is it parasitic?) nuptial flight and its biggest any sp. nuptial I ever saw. They might fly tomorrow too, because most of them went back to their nest at 7:15pm, and they wasn't away from their nest more than about 4-6 feet. I took few of them just in case if they won't fly again or if I find some drones to mate them.

P.s. if crematogasters are fully claustral, then how do they survive until spring?

P.p.s. idk y pics are rotated

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Edited by AleeGuy, September 10 2020 - 6:10 PM.

#452 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 10 2020 - 6:35 PM

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Crematogaster survive by going into dormancy during the winter months, plus that fat gaster is full of food reserves. They are exceedingly tough queens. I’ve never had one die on me.
Can you get a better shot of the Lasius, especially the gaster?

Edited by ANTdrew, September 10 2020 - 6:37 PM.

"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#453 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 11 2020 - 7:21 AM

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Big Crematogaster flight right now!


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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#454 Offline AleeGuy - Posted September 11 2020 - 7:32 AM

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Big Crematogaster flight right now!


Crematogasters in my backyard doesn't plan to fly I don't know why

Here ya go with pics and gaster

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#455 Offline NickAnter - Posted September 11 2020 - 7:53 AM

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That one looks like non parasitic. However, one of the earlier images did indeed look parasitic.


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Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies. 

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant). 

#456 Offline AleeGuy - Posted September 11 2020 - 8:01 AM

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That one looks like non parasitic. However, one of the earlier images did indeed look parasitic.

Thanks! But they are all same sp. Maybe my camera has problems with colors in different lighting or something

#457 Offline Antkid12 - Posted September 11 2020 - 11:24 AM

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Woah, awesome catch!


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Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#458 Offline AleeGuy - Posted September 11 2020 - 2:37 PM

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I'm there rn, and there is no alates near the nest. Maybe because of the wind or the temp

Edited by AleeGuy, September 11 2020 - 2:40 PM.

#459 Offline Antkid12 - Posted September 18 2020 - 12:58 PM

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There was a Crematogaster flight today! I only caught one but it was still awesome!


Edited by Antkid12, September 18 2020 - 1:01 PM.

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Ants I have: Tapinoma sessile(2 queen colony). RED MORPH Camponotus neacticus(now has pupae!), Tetramorium immigrans (x3), Aphaenogaster sp, Temnothorax sp, Brachymyrmex sp.   possibly infertile   :(,  Ponera pennsylvanica, and Pheidole morrisi!  :yahoo: 

 

Other insects: Polistes sp. Queen

                    

Ants I need: Pheidole sp., Trachymyrmex sp., Crematogaster cerasi , Dorymyrmex sp. Most wanted: Pheidole morrisii

 

                    

                   

 

 

#460 Offline AleeGuy - Posted September 18 2020 - 8:02 PM

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I found one too right now in the bath tub. I don't know how they get in there but I find them every few month. Ohh why they like shower so much :facepalm:


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