Catching Smaller Queens

Temporary placeholder

Moderators: ooper01, Trusted User

Locked
AntDudeUSA
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat May 12, 2018 5:33 pm
Location: North Carolina

Catching Smaller Queens

Post: # 36178Post AntDudeUSA
Mon May 21, 2018 11:49 am

Hello i was wondering if there are any tips on how to spot or identify small queen ants. i recently caught a caponotus queen and it took me forever to find her and shes on the bigger side . i really want to get a lasius colony as i have seen some around my house and fields but they are just so small that i feel when their nuptial flights come around i wont be able to see or catch them any tips?

-AntDude
Keeper of
x1 Camponotus Penslyvanicus
x1 Formica Subscerica
x1 Tetramorium Caespitum
x1 Solenopsis Invicta
x1 Pheidole sp
x1 Dorymyrmex Bureni

User avatar
mallonje
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2018 4:55 pm
Location: Massachusetts

Re: Catching Smaller Queens

Post: # 36180Post mallonje
Mon May 21, 2018 12:27 pm

I'm new too, and I thought the same thing.

Then I went out with the intent of looking for ants that were not camponotus.

I caught everything not on a mound I could - worker, male, queen it didn't matter. Even caught a couple of camponotus workers by mistake. I then used a 5x pocket magnifier to check for anything that might have looked like wing scars. I brought anything I thought might be a queen home. I chilled them in the fridge, just to slow them down and took a closer look with a 40x loupe.

I still do this, just because it helps me build up working knowledge of what's in the world around me.

If you're looking for Lasius, their queens are about the same size as a small to medium size camponotus worker.

AntDudeUSA
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat May 12, 2018 5:33 pm
Location: North Carolina

Re: Catching Smaller Queens

Post: # 36383Post AntDudeUSA
Sat May 26, 2018 8:36 pm

thank you I will start looking more closely at camponotus workers when I see them just to make sure :lol: there are somme insanely small specie where I live that I have no clue what they are they are tan with white gasters .they are super small like not too much bigger than grains of sand , which is where they build there nest so ive started calling them sand ants :D I might kidnap a few when I see them running around and check them

-AntDude
Keeper of
x1 Camponotus Penslyvanicus
x1 Formica Subscerica
x1 Tetramorium Caespitum
x1 Solenopsis Invicta
x1 Pheidole sp
x1 Dorymyrmex Bureni

User avatar
antnest8
Posts: 1438
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 2:11 pm
Location: Detroit, MI

Re: Catching Smaller Queens

Post: # 36446Post antnest8
Mon May 28, 2018 4:19 pm

a lot of times small queens will swarm and they will be everywhere. Also good ways to check for small queens is looking in the pool or windowsills and if it is temnothorax you can look at acorns
Some of My Informative Sheets
https://forum.AntsCanada.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=19099
Includes :
  • Ant Care Sheets
    Queen Hunting
    How To Identify Ants
Goal is to become #2 poster on the forum

AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Catching Smaller Queens

Post: # 36949Post AntsDakota
Tue Jun 05, 2018 12:15 pm

antnest8 wrote:
Mon May 28, 2018 4:19 pm
a lot of times small queens will swarm and they will be everywhere. Also good ways to check for small queens is looking in the pool or windowsills and if it is temnothorax you can look at acorns
I can find Solenopsis molesta queens crawling all over my driveway, and they are slow flyers so I can see them swarming in the air.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

AntsDakota
Posts: 1283
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2018 4:22 pm
Location: South Dakota

Re: Catching Smaller Queens

Post: # 36950Post AntsDakota
Tue Jun 05, 2018 12:17 pm

AntDudeUSA wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 11:49 am
Hello i was wondering if there are any tips on how to spot or identify small queen ants. i recently caught a caponotus queen and it took me forever to find her and shes on the bigger side . i really want to get a lasius colony as i have seen some around my house and fields but they are just so small that i feel when their nuptial flights come around i wont be able to see or catch them any tips?

-AntDude
Lasius queens fly very slowly, and you can usually see them flying in the air. So if you see massive clouds of insects flying around in August, catch some with a net. They also like to gather on ornamental grass.
"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

Locked

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests