918 replies to this topic

[ANTdrew]

He could have found a queen that already flew. He’ll need to wait and see if she lays eggs. Today looks like good conditions for you in Richmond, by the way.

[RVAOsprey]

Hm that’s good to know. I went out around 5:30-6:30 but may go out again. I’ve heard later in the night is better? I’ve been looking around forest trails with no luck so far. But since the trails are narrow the actual area I’m scanning isn’t large

[RVAOsprey]

Hm that’s good to know. I went out around 5:30-6:30 but may go out again. I’ve heard later in the night is better? I’ve been looking around forest trails with no luck so far. But since the trails are narrow the actual area I’m scanning isn’t large

[Cblake113]

Just found a winged camponotus chromaiodes at about 9:00 pm. Temp was 74 degrees. She was sitting on a chair about 20 feet away from an outside light.

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[ANTdrew]

Great find again! Squat diddly here in NOVA. Lame.

[RVAOsprey]

Yeah solid find! Same here in Richmond. Though activity in the developed colonies is high, and I found some other pretty cool critters. So not a total loss

Edited by RVAOsprey, April 9 2020 - 3:11 AM.

[Cblake113]

Thank you! I just can't wait to see a good neptual flight! It would be my first to attend and don't want to miss it! I'm seeing a lot of ant activity in developed colonies also RVA! Just need to wait some more I guess. I'm just impatient lol

[RVAOsprey]

Haha you and me both my friend

[nabeach89]

I am not going to say I am not totally green with envy here in VB! Great Job! The temps and humidity have been perfect here, but the wind has been very high over the past few days. most birds aren't even flying with the gusts. There are a ton of developed colonies here too.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

I have a bunch of Formica Subsereicia in my backyard which makes me think they're winning the long Camponotus v. Formica ant war... I also have what I think is either Lasius Neoniger and Lasius Flavus (yes I know I used the old name don't crucify me), so it'll be interesting to see if they'll duke it out as well

[Bmorobbie]

Hello! I’m a new guy from Norfolk, VA. I’ve been watching AntsCanada for a while now and would really like to get into ant keeping. My 3 year old son has become addicted to the channel as well. I completely understand if it’s not possible however is there anyone in my area with an extra queen or starting colony. I’d paid. I’m not sure how much they normally cost however. I’m not having the same luck as CBlake in foraging. Any help or information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[ANTdrew]

Welcome, fellow Virginian! We’re literally at the very beginning of queen season, so don’t give up searching. Camponotus are sure to fly again over the next few weeks, then in June Tetramorium will be everywhere. If you don’t find a queen, I have colonies for sale. Search for my ad on the General Marketplace sub-forum.

[nabeach89]

Hey Bmorobbie, I am in VB, but am searching for my first queen myself. I was going to get a a queen from ANTdrew, however we went on lockdown shortly before I was to travel. I am keeping my eyes peeled for nuptial flights in the area, and I will let you know if I see anything on this forum. I am extremely diligent about the matter.

[Bmorobbie]

Awesome! Thanks so much guys. I’ll be sure to keep my eyes peeled. I appreciate the responses. I wasn’t sure when the flights were and the seasons. Do y’all have any information on the ants found in Virginia? Seems like pest control websites have been my go to for the types in the area. Haha.

[ANTdrew]

You’ve come to the right place to learn about ants in your area. If you scroll back through this thread, you can get a good idea of when various species fly in your area. Here are your best bets for now:
Camponotus: from now till Memorial Day. Search late afternoons/ evenings
Tetramorium immigrans: June through July 4th. Search early mornings before 7:00am
Formica: early afternoons in July, but I never find these.
Crematogaster: Late August-Labor Day. Search on hot, humid afternoons from 12:00-2:00pm

Edited by ANTdrew, April 10 2020 - 4:34 AM.

[Bmorobbie]

Many thanks for that write up. I’ll be on the look out. That definitely helps point me in the right direction for times to go out. It’s crazy how many queens I’ve seen in the past before my interest in this and said to myself “woah, that’s a huge ant” and kept walking.

[RVAOsprey]

With this cold front coming through and it being in the 50s and 60s, do you guys think it’s worth looking for wandering queens? Or in this weather is it pretty much just searching under bark and such


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[nabeach89]

I am sticking to under bark for now. The wind is 25 gusting 40 here and in the mid 50's. It is also really low humidity, which does not bode well for queens. I think Monday of next week we will be back in the window for queens in the Norfolk and Virginia beach area for 24-48 hours, then another weeks wait.

[Da_NewAntOnTheBlock]

The first queen is either the oddest to find, the hardest to find, or the funniest to find; a prime example was my Formica Subseriecia queen (Selene) crawled towards me, which is pretty comical for a queen of Formica to do, so it was a funny first find (yes I used alliteration, ANTdrew is now probably happy because I did something that is commonly taught anywhere from grades 4-8 in literature classes).   

[ANTdrew]

Good work, DNA. Here’s my simile:
It’s colder than an ex’s heart here. You won’t find any queens in weather like this. Monday might be promising, but I think we’ll need to wait until the end of the month for anything substantial, at least in NOVA.