ID Reno NV September queen

[Zombiie]

I think she may be a fire ant but her head is massive (i'm a first time ant keeper and I DON'T WANT A FIRE ANT QUEEN)

she was caught today at 5:13 pm 9/25/2016
I cannot measure her (i'm very bad at math and other measurement stuff even with measure tape)

[Batspiderfish]

Agreed.

FYI, do not abbreviate species names. Pogonomyrmex sp.

spp. stands for "species pluralis" which would imply that this queen is more than one species.

[Zombiie]

I'm just happy that its not a Solenopsis.
I looked up that they do sting but are they a good beginner ant?

[Zombiie]

Darn ,I'll see if I can keep her but I don't know...I am planning on going out again today when its a bit darker (it's September but its still pretty hot here in Nevada)

[Batspiderfish]

I'm just happy that its not a Solenopsis.
I looked up that they do sting but are they a good beginner ant?

Pogonomyrmex probably have one of the most painful stings out of all ants in the United States, but they aren't dangerous unless you are allergic (which applies to every stinging ant). Their workers have been the mail-order inhabitants of the Uncle Milton ant farms for decades.

Read up on how other people have kept these ants, and you should be fine. Anybody can keep a relatively difficult species if they do their research. My first queen was the social parasite, Lasius umbratus.

[AntLove5Ever]

I'm just happy that its not a Solenopsis.
I looked up that they do sting but are they a good beginner ant?

Pogonomyrmex probably have one of the most painful stings out of all ants in the United States, but they aren't dangerous unless you are allergic (which applies to every stinging ant). Their workers have been the mail-order inhabitants of the Uncle Milton ant farms for decades.

Read up on how other people have kept these ants, and you should be fine. Anybody can keep a relatively difficult species if they do their research. My first queen was the social parasite, Lasius umbratus.

Agreed

[Zombiie]

Thank you I will do my research!

[AntLove5Ever]

I'm just happy that its not a Solenopsis.
I looked up that they do sting but are they a good beginner ant?

Pogonomyrmex probably have one of the most painful stings out of all ants in the United States, but they aren't dangerous unless you are allergic (which applies to every stinging ant). Their workers have been the mail-order inhabitants of the Uncle Milton ant farms for decades.

Read up on how other people have kept these ants, and you should be fine. Anybody can keep a relatively difficult species if they do their research. My first queen was the social parasite, Lasius umbratus.

How, did you not need a different colony in order to introduce her to?

[Batspiderfish]

I'm just happy that its not a Solenopsis.
I looked up that they do sting but are they a good beginner ant?

Pogonomyrmex probably have one of the most painful stings out of all ants in the United States, but they aren't dangerous unless you are allergic (which applies to every stinging ant). Their workers have been the mail-order inhabitants of the Uncle Milton ant farms for decades.

Read up on how other people have kept these ants, and you should be fine. Anybody can keep a relatively difficult species if they do their research. My first queen was the social parasite, Lasius umbratus.

How, did you not need a different colony in order to introduce her to?

I caught her Lasius alienus host workers and some larvae under a wood pile, then put them in the fridge. The queen was adopted by the workers and she produced a great colony before I lost her in a hibernation mishap. I miss her.

I do have another Lasius umbratus queen who is laying eggs, so hopefully she will get that first worker out and start another colony. I also have a Lasius minutus queen in a tube with some Lasius alienus callows, Lasius latipes alive (for now) with Lasius nearcticus host workers, and am waiting on some callow Lasius alienus to eclose for my Lasius speculiventris. I'm pretty into social parasites, and now I get most of my host workers from my five-year-old Lasius alienus colony.