Tons of queens today in PA!!!

[AntsRule]

Found about 7 all hiding under rocks avoiding the hot sun. One of the ones I found had a small worker attacking it!

[thescienceguy1980]

Found about 7 all hiding under rocks avoiding the hot sun. One of the ones I found had a small worker attacking it!

What kind were they? Camps? How many queens do you have now? You had a slow start but I'm sure you passed me already : )

[AntsRule]

Found about 7 all hiding under rocks avoiding the hot sun. One of the ones I found had a small worker attacking it!

What kind were they? Camps? How many queens do you have now? You had a slow start but I'm sure you passed me already : )

I have caught 21 Brachymyrmex depilis but I put 15 in one test tube and 6 in another. 2 mystery possible small camps and 6 Camponotus Chromaiodes queens. So I might have passed you in queen count but probably not total test tube set-ups. Test tube set ups = 10, Queen count = 29

[thescienceguy1980]

I have caught 21 Brachymyrmex depilis but I put 15 in one test tube and 6 in another. 2 mystery possible small camps and 6 Camponotus Chromaiodes queens. So I might have passed you in queen count but probably not total test tube set-ups. Test tube set ups = 10, Queen count = 29 [/quote]


Sweeeeet! Congrats man! I have 12 test tube setups but have 3 colonies (with queens) in them (believed Lasius) and 6 Camponotus tubes, and three other unidentified, very small queens. One thing I found is that the queens ith wings don't lay nearly as soon (if at all) than queens who have dropped. Just an observation, not anything solid.

[AntsRule]

Thanks! Neat observation! Could the small queens you caught be Brachymyrmex depilis? They are a very wide-spread and successful species.

[AntsRule]

[quote="thescienceguy1980"][/quote]
Tuesday looks amazing for nuptial flights! 100% heavy rain on Monday and then 84 degrees Tuesday. Not to mention it has but high 80's all week so i bet the alates are just dying to fly! Good luck!

[thescienceguy1980]

Thanks! Neat observation! Could the small queens you caught be Brachymyrmex depilis? They are a very wide-spread and successful species.

Maybe they are Brachymyrmex, let me see. They are clearly polygynous...and small... They are like pavement ants to me but we don't have Tetramorium around here.

[thescienceguy1980]

Depilis looks a bit yellow compared o mine. My ants are brown (maybe dark brown). Ill look up some other Brachymyrmex. I'd say the workers are 3mm long and the queens are almost the same shape but about 5mm long and a bit darker... They have shacked up in my wicker chair, and also in the cracks between my concrete patio and also coming from some mortar holes in my brick house, to another mortar hole... here are a few pics of them moving throughout the weekend... tons and tons... must have been thousands of eggs, pupae, larvae, and I spotted at least 6-10 queens moving with them throughout the 6-8 hours they were moving. The cool thing was they got done moving about 5 minutes or less before it rained which I thought was impressive as hell if they knew they had to be done in time. wow. Go Ants!

Sorry they aren't very close up, Im waiting on my macro lens to arrive : )

[AntsRule]

Depilis looks a bit yellow compared o mine.

Yeah the workers from the colony's I think my queens came from are dark brown with smallish gasters. I did not think the looked like Depilis. But according to ant web there is only one sp. of Brachymyrmex in pa, although they could be wrong. And my queens look exactly like Brachymyrmex Depilis queens, I guess i will find out when workers arrive! Any queens today? You would think it is the perfect day for flights but I surprisingly have not found one, I have not even seen a male.

[thescienceguy1980]

@AntsRule

I haven't found any (single) queens recently. I see a lot with the moving crews that go along with the small brown ants but I leave them alone, Also released my three colonies that I snagged en route while moving another colony, I just wanted them to be able to feed themselves. Nothing at all today and it seems almost perfect for nuptial flights. Im getting a bit discouraged cuz I never find any while walking around looking, I find them when I am NOT looking.