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Did alate ants live on the colony all the time?

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 4:23 pm
by MrUrrutia
Hello, I'm new to the ant keeping idea and I'm starting to get things ready to give it a try on the next spring-summer with some Camponatus floridanus...

But let go back to my original question, today the younger of my kids were playing outside and found a huge anthill of Solenopsis invicta (small red aggressive Son of B!!!!), as all kids without fear he poke a stick on the hill and partially remove the top layers exposing some larvae, workers and to my surprise a looooott of alate (not sure if males or females, they were mad about being disturbed so i could don't get close enough to do a visual inspection), is it common to found alate ants on the nest all the time or this unusual warm-wet winter here at florida it's affecting the basic life cycle of the colony?

Thanks!!!!

Re: Did alate ants live on the colony all the time?

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 8:10 pm
by Batspiderfish
Solenopsis invicta basically mates year-round, so long as conditions are favorable.

Re: Did alate ants live on the colony all the time?

Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 9:31 pm
by MrUrrutia
wow... I was not aware of that! If it was not because they are ferocious little beasts I will try to keep a colony, but I have witnessed first hand how bad it can get with them so I pass on the FireAnts!!!

On the other hand I have see what I believe is a colony of Florida carpenter ants (Red head and thorax with black/dark abdomen, not aggressive but can give a good bite if you force them!) on a tree that it's located on my front yard, and probably there are some on the old tree on the backyard that it's almost all rotten (as far as I have read that place it's heaven for them) so I almost can be 100% sure that as soon as they are ready they will be some queens on the area.