hedge
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 70
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Post by hedge on Sept 6, 2016 11:10:34 GMT
Interesting, thanks.
And I just saw a Myrmica sp. male on the patio, so I guess there's a flight today here.
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hedge
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 70
Likes: 50
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Post by hedge on Sept 6, 2016 15:46:08 GMT
Some sort of black-brown Lasius sp, I'd think niger but it seems touch late, having a flight today. One nest was in soil by a lamppost, another was nesting in soil and under the bark of a fallen log.
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Post by jeoff82 on Sept 6, 2016 18:20:18 GMT
Some sort of black-brown Lasius sp, I'd think niger but it seems touch late, having a flight today. One nest was in soil by a lamppost, another was nesting in soil and under the bark of a fallen log. Did you capture any?
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Post by jeoff82 on Sept 6, 2016 19:16:16 GMT
I collected another 3 Lasius umbratus queens tonight, 2 dead and 1 alive
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 6, 2016 20:07:39 GMT
I collected another 3 Lasius umbratus queens tonight, 2 dead and 1 alive If you ever manage to catch more and they established colonies, I wouldn't mind buying one off you.
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hedge
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 70
Likes: 50
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Post by hedge on Sept 6, 2016 20:08:45 GMT
Some sort of black-brown Lasius sp, I'd think niger but it seems touch late, having a flight today. One nest was in soil by a lamppost, another was nesting in soil and under the bark of a fallen log. Did you capture any? No, they were starting their flight but I didn't find any later and I've don't really need any more niger colonies right now. I collected another 3 Lasius umbratus queens tonight, 2 dead and 1 alive Congratulations. I got the dead queen I have under the microscope to check: keys out as L. umbratus, ( L. mixtus was not actually in that key, but can be separated from L. umbratus based on hind tibia and scape hairs). So, unless both are here, the local species is indeed L. umbratus.
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Post by jeoff82 on Sept 6, 2016 20:15:42 GMT
No, they were starting their flight but I didn't find any later and I've don't really need any more niger colonies right now. I collected another 3 Lasius umbratus queens tonight, 2 dead and 1 alive Congratulations. I got the dead queen I have under the microscope to check: keys out as L. umbratus, ( L. mixtus was not actually in that key, but can be separated from L. umbratus based on hind tibia and scape hairs). So, unless both are here, the local species is indeed L. umbratus.Cool, now we know there are umbratus in the area. I'll try key the dead ones out I found, if not ill ask the ant man at BWARS to do it for me, hopefully he will not mind. I have given a queen away to someone who helped me out with the last one I found. I have also offered another to someone who asked me first but if they don't get back to me then ill probably sell it on. All money towards my Formica rufibarbis project
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Post by deansyme on Sept 6, 2016 20:22:52 GMT
How much you looking for?
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Post by jeoff82 on Sept 6, 2016 20:49:53 GMT
How much you looking for? £20 posted, can posted out tomorrow as time is of the essence with these queens! They need niger workers and cocoons asap
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Post by TenebrousNova on Sept 6, 2016 20:51:48 GMT
I might just take you up on that...would I be able to add a few L.niger workers from the garden? Might be a good idea to put them in the fridge for a few minutes prior to introducing them to the umbratus queen.
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Post by jeoff82 on Sept 6, 2016 21:04:36 GMT
I might just take you up on that...would I be able to add a few L.niger workers from the garden? Might be a good idea to put them in the fridge for a few minutes prior to introducing them to the umbratus queen. With one queen I have I just added a few workers from my garden, there was no aggression just a stand-off. A couple of days later I added cocoons, now 2 weeks later I have around 15 nanitics plus the few adults and the queen all living in harmony. No cooling, the queen was never aggressive, she just stayed really still. But I did find a queen yesterday running around with a dead niger worker in its jaws. So I guess they have different ways of infiltrating a colony.
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hedge
Leaf Cutter Ant
Posts: 70
Likes: 50
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Post by hedge on Sept 6, 2016 22:14:49 GMT
I've heard about the fridge thing, and these queens do tend to be more active at lower temps than, say, their host species, but honestly I'm not sure it's actually helpful. I've tried it in the past and it didn't do much, but my success the other week was at room temperature, and I appear to be having success today at room temp.
Gonna probably write up a whole thing based on what I've read in papers and observed myself on colony invasion by these.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Sept 6, 2016 23:08:42 GMT
I collected another 3 Lasius umbratus queens tonight, 2 dead and 1 alive If you ever manage to catch more and they established colonies, I wouldn't mind buying one off you. Start a new thread please for buying or selling ants in the right board.
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Post by Honeydewman on Sept 16, 2016 17:06:42 GMT
Thank you Wood that is exactly what I found. Right shaped Gastor and colour too... I have only seen 1 this year but will keep an eye out next year... might just keep one.
I also had another flight from my Nigers yesterday, making 5 in total. Two flights of males and three of females. However, it was a very small flight of approximately 50 females. Perhaps given the warm weather the colony is getting rid of the hangers on in time for Winter.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Oct 15, 2016 7:24:37 GMT
The mating flight season has come to an end here in the UK, but in warmer countries you may still find late flying ant species; and of course in more tropical climates mating flights will occur during the wet season. So if you happen to lucky enough to be going abroad on holiday, or live in a warmer country than Britain, keep your eyes open for flying ants, as you never know what you may find flying around and could find some interesting ant species during hot days after a good shower of rain.
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