Help with ID?
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- Batspiderfish
- Posts: 3315
- Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
- Location: Maine
Re: Help with ID?
Lasius umbratus. She will be perfectly comfortable in a test tube, but still will need host workers. Unless you are introducing her to callows, it will be best to let her settle in her own tube so (after being put in the same enclosure with a test tube full of host workers) she has somewhere safe to retreat to.
A little bit of sugary liquid on a tray doesn't hurt.
A little bit of sugary liquid on a tray doesn't hurt.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.
Re: Help with ID?
Thank you BatSpiderFish! Now that I know exactly what she is I will go start looking in to what kinds of hosts she can have and how to keep her comfy.
She's the first Queen I've ever caught so I'd really like to try to keep her alive and happy.
She's the first Queen I've ever caught so I'd really like to try to keep her alive and happy.
- Batspiderfish
- Posts: 3315
- Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
- Location: Maine
Re: Help with ID?
My first queen was Lasius umbratus too! This is totally doable, as long as you can locate and identify the appropriate host genus. Lasius from the niger group (L. alienus, L. neoniger, L. pallitarsis) are the most frequently used in successful colonies.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.
Re: Help with ID?
I actually think I have a nest of L. alienus nearby my home. I'll go collect a worker for ID purposes. I don't trust myself to be able to 100% positively ID a species, I don't have enough experience.
Re: Help with ID?
Hmm... So apparently these little blackish ants are too tiny for my Nikon D5100, and when I try to reverse the lens (as mentioned in Batspiderfish's Photo board) the camera refuses to take any photos as there is 'No attached lens'. Anybody got any resourceful or creative ideas?
- Batspiderfish
- Posts: 3315
- Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
- Location: Maine
Re: Help with ID?
A lot of cameras have a setting where it won't operate unless there is a lens that the camera can communicate with. Since lots of people like to use Nikon's vintage lenses, I assume there is a way to turn this setting off. I've never used Nikon, but I'm sure you can find it somewhere in the menu.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.
Re: Help with ID?
I shall look around. Thank you, once again Batspiderfish! You're just a wealth of knowledge.
- Batspiderfish
- Posts: 3315
- Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
- Location: Maine
Re: Help with ID?
My love of ants and photography feed one another.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.
Re: Help with ID?
You were correct! I got the camera turned to Manual and it allowed me to reverse the lens as long as I held down the shutter button on the lens. Only problem now is the exposure is terrible, it's very dark. I'm going to run the images through Photoshop and up the brightness and contrast to see if it makes it less dark and blurry. Macro is hard to do I'm learning, but it looks like it might be fun!
If photoshop doesn't work I've read there are ways to play with the exposure in the camera settings, so that's what I'll likely try next.
If photoshop doesn't work I've read there are ways to play with the exposure in the camera settings, so that's what I'll likely try next.
- Batspiderfish
- Posts: 3315
- Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2016 3:47 pm
- Location: Maine
Re: Help with ID?
Flash is essential. If you have one or more external flashes which you can place away from the camera body and aim, that is ideal. Also: diffusion.
If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.
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