Ant ID

[Tleilaxu]

While looking for a log for my winged queen I found an ant colonly in a perfect log. I managed to take the queen and some larva and a few workers. I would like someone to ID them because if they are the same species as the one I have at home then I am screwed as the workers are REALLY small. The queen was large as usual. Pics will be coming soon the queen is VERY hard to take pics of she has a black head a maroon thorax and black abdomen the works are kinda maroonish black. Smaller than two week old crickets but bigger than pinheads.

 

[Tleilaxu]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/000_1550.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/000_1548.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/000_1547.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/000_1526.jpg
^^^^
Queen


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/000_1531.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/000_1535.jpg
^^^^^
Workers

 

[Ant Worker]

Hi,

The queen is a Camponotus sp. Not sure on exact sp.
The workers however are Lasius sp. Looking like L. neoniger.

The workers/queen are unrelated.

 

[Tleilaxu]

Hi,

The queen is a Camponotus sp. Not sure on exact sp.
The workers however are Lasius sp. Looking like L. neoniger.

The workers/queen are unrelated.

Thank you but why did they not kill her it was there log first. PS the big one had no eggs with her.

 

[Tleilaxu]

Woot

While sorting ants I managed to catch the OTHER queen now how do you house L. neoniger? Are they predatory? Are they wood or soil nesters? How long can thee queen be away before they reject her reintroduction?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/000_1587.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/000_1585.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v322/Tleilaxu/000_1583.jpg

 

[Taceas]

Helpful tidbit...

You can link your pictures directly by putting a before the link and a [ /img] after the link.

Only make sure there are no spaces between the bracket and the forward slash when using it, I only did it here so they would appear able to be read.

=)

 

[Ant Worker]

Thats the lasius queen alright, she should be able to be introduced, go ahead, if they act agresivelly chill the workers than add the queen in with them. They whould take her back.

Dunno if its exactly L. neoniger, there are plenty of brown lasius, but they will live fine in moist soil and fed insects and sugar water/honey/syrup.

Lee

 

[Tleilaxu]

Heck Yeah Thankies!

 

[kraken]

Those are real neat ant! I have large red and black here,but not like that.I have always wanted to keep ants.Are they hard?

 

[Tleilaxu]

Those are real neat ant! I have large red and black here,but not like that.I have always wanted to keep ants.Are they hard?

Finding the queen at least for me is the hardest part. Once you get the new queens they will eventually start the colony. The colony groth is agonizingly slow for me anyway.

 

[Tleilaxu]

EE sorry for the double post but will a monnlight work for blacklighting. It is a small incandesent light. Also when are the best times to attempt to catch flying ants and where would you set up. How do you catch them?

Thanks

 

[zinto]

This site (http://home.cogeco.ca/~lunker/blacklight2.htm) describes how I usually catch queen ants and other cool bugs. Almost any light will do, it's just that blacklights work best. Also, you need to go out away from city lights where there isn't much other lighting for best results. Especially when not using a blacklight. Good luck!

 

[The Snark]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

If you are really into ants, come over here (Thailand.) I'll get you a few hundred pounds of them.

 

[zinto]

I'd love to! There's many places I'd like to visit to collect inverts, but alas, I am a poor college student without a private jet and my adventures will have to wait.... There's also the issue of bringing them back into the country...:wall:

 

[Ant Worker]

I love the humor in the posts I read from beginners they are so misinformed.

LOL queen ants are not hard to find I captured over 120 in the last 1 week.
-_-;; And many diff species as well.

zinto, blacklights yield alates not mated queens... Blacklighting is only good for sampling the species in your area for pinning etc.

 

[zinto]

As stated in another thread, blacklighting seems to yield many fertile queens. Maybe they just don't like you...

 

[Ant Worker]

queens must hate me I only caught over 100+ today of a few different species. LOL ;*)

 

[desertdwellr]

Lee....

and what supposed species are you claiming to have found? Also, it is not hard to find over a thousand queens in one day, timing is everything.

Aaron

 

[zinto]

I'm talking about catching them by blacklighting

 

[Arietans]

This probably isn't the place but...


Just a question for you guys.

Termites here keep their nests at 26 deg. Celsius, regardless of how hot or cold it is outside. How they do this is debatable, but I think its in the way they build their structure.

My question

Do ants do this too? If so, which ants (a link would be very handy)?