Colorado Nupital Flights

Where and when are you finding queen ants? A section to share nuptial flight schedules by ant species and locality

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Antero
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:31 pm
Location: CO

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 38774Post Antero
Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:00 pm

Spotted a nest with some queens near Balnced Rock at Garden of the Gods last week.
Any guess on what kind? The queens were really big and had a green shine to them. I captured one.
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Also spotted this fire ant(?) queen out foraging in there territory.
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Arrownation
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:27 pm
Location: Columbus ms

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 38777Post Arrownation
Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:35 pm

First maybe a Rhytidoponera purpurea ik they have a green tint and a bigish head cant really tell by the picture kinda dark

Arrownation
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:27 pm
Location: Columbus ms

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 38778Post Arrownation
Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:37 pm

If so iv been admiring that species for awhile now

Cal113
Posts: 80
Joined: Fri Mar 17, 2017 8:49 pm
Location: Louisville, Co

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 38895Post Cal113
Mon Jun 25, 2018 9:41 pm

kinda looks like Formica especially the worker.. not sure

also are there even Rhytidoponera in Colorado?? I didn't know if so.
Keeper of:

x3 Tetramorium caespitum queens (small colonies);
x1 Pogonomyrmex barbatus (med colony)
x1 Formica fusca single queen; (small colony)
x2 Unknown sp.; (founding)
x1 Temnothorax rugatalus (med colony)

Arrownation
Posts: 4
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 11:27 pm
Location: Columbus ms

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 38900Post Arrownation
Tue Jun 26, 2018 1:45 am

Maybe not sure but greenish tint makes me think of them

CamelSpiderDave
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2018 4:45 pm
Location: Denver

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 39002Post CamelSpiderDave
Tue Jun 26, 2018 11:00 pm

Just found 5 more queens today, but only had enough containers to catch 3 of them. Three of the queens were Tetramorium sp. and I was able to snag one of them as I was walking towards the bus stop along Hwy 36. The other 2 queens I found were Pogonomyrmex sp. I grabbed both of them; one this morning walking from the bus stop to work, and the other right across the street from my apartment. I add these 3 to my other starting colonies, in addition to what I am thinking is a species of Formica (but unsure) that I caught last Thursday. So 7 queens that will hopefully lead to fruitful ant colonies.
Arachnophile with a budding myrmecological love. :D

Founding Ant Colonies:
2x Tetramorium sp. E
1x Camponotus pennsylvanicus
1x Formica sp. (I think)
2x Pogonomyrmex sp.

Antero
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:31 pm
Location: CO

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 39033Post Antero
Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:47 am

Serious swarm in Lafeyette just now
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Male
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Female
I saw one then I saw a thousand, paved area no nests around. They are dark brown with yellow features, short golden hairs. Exciting stuff.

rrlohmeyer
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:30 pm
Location: Colorado

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 39077Post rrlohmeyer
Wed Jun 27, 2018 4:42 pm

Tetramoriums are flying in south and north Colorado Springs! I caught over 20 down around the Powers and Galley area, then came home to Briargate and found several more. They are out there!

JackieB
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2018 8:20 pm
Location: Aurora, Colorado

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 39081Post JackieB
Wed Jun 27, 2018 5:56 pm

And North Aurora and South Denver. Weird they appear to be flying through out the state. I wonder if there is a pharamone cascade or just really good conditions. I just got 7 queens literally right in front of my door. Also a lot of dead males are scattered around.

Antero
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jun 24, 2018 10:31 pm
Location: CO

Re: Colorado Nupital Flights

Post: # 39103Post Antero
Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:38 pm

Yes! Pavement ants. I found many more when I got home in NE Boulder. Didn't see any in the same area yesterday.

In retrospect there was probably a ton of nests in my original area.

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