35 replies to this topic

[Foogoo]

I would try to find some more. You seem to be in an area dominated by them.

 

Ditto. Would you be willing to share the specific location/trail? It can probably be useful to Drew's map as well.

[Gregory2455]

Location would be awesome!

[kellakk]

The ones I've found have all been along the La Sierra trail in Chino Hills.

[Foogoo]

The ones I've found have all been along the La Sierra trail in Chino Hills.

 

I'm planning to check it out Saturday if you're heading back out!

[kellakk]

 

The ones I've found have all been along the La Sierra trail in Chino Hills.

 

I'm planning to check it out Saturday if you're heading back out!

 

Yes, come! I love having people collect with me!

[dspdrew]

That is really crazy. I RARELY find anything under rocks in any of the low elevation spots I go, and you all know how many places I've been by looking at my map haha. That's awesome. Are these S. amblychila again? It's hard to tell by the pictures.

[kellakk]

I think they're S. amblychila.  They've got the red color that the last one did, and all the majors look yellowish.  It is kind of crazy that I found these, but I do find a lot of things when I go flip rocks.  The colonies I flipped were near each other, within 20 yards of each other I think.

[Gregory2455]

They are pretty much garunteed to be Solenopsis. Ne they S. amblychila, or aurea, they are cool.
They are pretty much garunteed to be Solenopsis. Be they S. amblychila, or aurea, they are cool.

[James C. Trager]

This is a good time of year to find soil nesting ants under rocks in California, soil cool, rocks warm.

The second colony pictured is Pheidole, possibly P. hyatti.
 

I'd like to see a closer, more brightly lighted image of the apparently mixed Solenopsis colony, if possible. 

[kellakk]

This is a good time of year to find soil nesting ants under rocks in California, soil cool, rocks warm.

The second colony pictured is Pheidole, possibly P. hyatti.
 

I'd like to see a closer, more brightly lighted image of the apparently mixed Solenopsis colony, if possible. 

 

Looking back at them, I see that you are likely correct.  My fault for jumping the gun on my first attempt at IDing ants  The first queen is identical to those of the second colony.  I don't currently have a good enough camera for good pictures, though I'll try when I get home.

[dspdrew]

Way cooler ants than Solenopsis. I thought something looked different when I first looked at those.

[Gregory2455]

Sol nopsis amblychila are awesome though... Oh well Pheidole are cool too.

[kellakk]

I found another.

[dspdrew]

I guess it's definitely true that they come up near the surface this time of year.

[kellakk]

Yeah, the queen and her brood were sitting up at the top of a random dirt mound that I stuck a shovel into.  It was just dumb luck that I chose that mound too, I checked a few around after I found her and they were all empty.

[dspdrew]

Yeah, last year around the beginning of March, a few times I took one scoop of dirt from what I though were possible founding chambers, and found a whole colony of Camponotus semitestaceus, and two colonies of Myrmecocystus navajo, queens and all.