jen
Callow Ant
I am in the middle of exams, my hair is purple and mum won't let me get my lip pierced...
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Post by jen on Feb 23, 2013 5:08:48 GMT
Hi, after being bitten several times by these ridiculously bad tempered pests, I am now tempted to keep them in my dads shed... I have a few colonies on our farm that I think are Myrmecia Brevinoda. I have used one as my profile pic. Have I named it correctly? Do you think it is something else?
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jen
Callow Ant
I am in the middle of exams, my hair is purple and mum won't let me get my lip pierced...
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
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Post by jen on Feb 23, 2013 9:17:39 GMT
Just thought I would taken a picture of one of the entrances at the top of the mound. It has been a stormy couple of days so there is a lot of leaf litter about. It is always a bit dangerous getting close to the mounds - You have to make sure they don't climb on your foot! The sting is unbelievably nasty... They are amazingly aggressive! They are brilliant! Attachments:
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Post by Wood~Ant on Feb 23, 2013 10:27:14 GMT
Hi Jen and welcome to the Ant Hill. Nice to see you found us and have joined what is the largest ant forum based in the UK, as we have members from all around the world here and as I know very little about ants from down under, Australian members are always nice to see. I believe you are correct with the Myrmecia species you have ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmecia) Are you keeping a colony for study or do they just live in your garden or around the farm in the wild? It is possible your Bulldog Ants may be} M. pavida as they look similar to brevinoda.
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jen
Callow Ant
I am in the middle of exams, my hair is purple and mum won't let me get my lip pierced...
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
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Post by jen on Feb 23, 2013 12:37:41 GMT
Hi Wood~Ant! We have four colonies at least that I know of. Our farm is twelve acres and they are scattered around - 50 - 100 metres apart. I want to house one colony because it is too close to the house and will have to go because my brother is only two years old so he could really hurt himself. The ants are pretty cool and would be very interesting if I can get a huge housing made up. I initially thought it was Pavida (I hadn't heard of Brevinoda) but then read that the mandibles (or are they jaws - I know nothing!) were a light colour and the Brevinoda ones were dark. These are dark, so I am not sure. I don't even know what I am supposed to measure as regards length! Front of mandible to tail? I find it hard to get info from the net as good pictures and descriptions are a bit sparse. Is there a good book that is recommended for beginners? I feel lucky to have some amazing creatures on my doorstep, but trust me, you wouldn't like the mossies that have just hatched...
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Post by Wood~Ant on Feb 23, 2013 15:02:31 GMT
There are so many ant species around the world that I don't think any book just covers one particular genera or species, but those by Holldobler & Wilson are always very in depth reading, as is Adventures Among Ants by Mark Moffett. Some good ant books are either very expensive or sadly out of print, though a second hand copy is usually cheaper so check out any local book store, or alternatively go online and try Amazon or any good book shop/store. Ants jaws move from the side, while ours move up and down; but mandibles is only another name for the jaws.
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jen
Callow Ant
I am in the middle of exams, my hair is purple and mum won't let me get my lip pierced...
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
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Post by jen on Feb 24, 2013 2:34:10 GMT
It stopped raining this morning - We have had about 250mm of rain in three days and the State is in flood. So I thought I would check on one of the ant mounds to see what was living there. On the way I passed lots of another type of Bullant - Black, yellow jaws and not completely psychotic like the red ones... When I got to the mound that I wanted to check, they were having a party! Lots of activity and ants with wings! So I popped a winged one in my tub! I think (but don't quote me...) the ones with wings can potentially become queens(?). They were bigger than the other ants in the nest - I'm guessing that nose to tail between 30 and 40mm. It is a huge ant! Dumb question: Can they actually fly? I took pics and it didn't fly off... Going to try and get better pics, but here is the best so far: Attachments:
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Post by Wood~Ant on Feb 24, 2013 9:06:52 GMT
Yes, ants with wings can actually fly. Ants are very close relatives of wasps, but while most worker wasps have retained their wings over millions of years, in ants it is only males and potential queens which have wings. Most ant species have mating flights, as this gives a colony a better chance of spreading its genetic code across a much larger area. When a young newly mated queen lands back on the ground, they either tear off their wings, or the wings are rubbed off on hard earth or stones. Living underground for the rest of their lives, wings are useless to a queen once she has been mated, as she will never fly again. If you have caught a young winged princess, and she still has her wings, then she hasn't mated and will not lay fertile eggs. Like wasps, the vast majority of ants can have nasty stings, or those that don't sting will bite and then spray formic acid into the open wound; both of which are painful experiences. Jack Jumpers or Bulldog ants may not be as painful as something like a large Bullet Ant, but their venom is still very toxic and may cause a person to suffer an anaphylactic shock reaction which requires hospital treatment. So if your winged ant is a female, she isn't mated.
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Post by Wood~Ant on Feb 24, 2013 9:21:40 GMT
I forgot to ask, as Oz is such a vast continent, which part of it do you live in? Is your farm close to a major city or town, as you may find a good book store which has ant books. This site may help} Ants in Australia
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jen
Callow Ant
I am in the middle of exams, my hair is purple and mum won't let me get my lip pierced...
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
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Post by jen on Feb 24, 2013 11:44:13 GMT
We are about 350km North of Sydney. Small town nearby is useless for books. I think my best bet is ebay. I'm not too worried that my princess isn't going to be a queen! I'm a loooong way from being able to house a colony - probably a good couple of months... The black bull ant I mentioned has gone all over the place! There was even a pair mating on the flyscreen (one had wings the other didn't) of our kitchen window! I took a pic or two, but haven't got them on the computer yet. Is this the right place to post pics? Or should I be posting them somewhere else? Don't know my way around the forum to know if I am doing the right thing... Although I did go and read the rules first! Oo h, off to look at 'Ants in Australia'!
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Post by Jenny on Feb 24, 2013 12:15:30 GMT
Hi Jen, (feels like I'm posting to myself ) we have a photo board here queenant.proboards.com/board/49/ant-photo-gallery Host the image in photobucket or somewhere, and use the [ ] brackets url to display.If the pic is causing a scroll because pics have to be a certain size to fit this forum, use the url link. I look forward to seeing them. The photo board helps to stop pics getting lost in the hundreds of posts we have here.
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jen
Callow Ant
I am in the middle of exams, my hair is purple and mum won't let me get my lip pierced...
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
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Post by jen on Feb 24, 2013 12:38:49 GMT
Thanks Jen! My evil plan to takeover the site is nearly complete... (insert maniac laughter)! I only know two other Jens in real life so it was a surprise to bump into one here!
I will put up these few pics on to a post in the photo section. They are a bit blurry because they are at the bottom of plastic jars. They keep walking when I am trying to take pics... These ants are sooo aggressive... Get too close and they leave you in no doubt who they think is boss! It is hard to get a normal picture of them just standing still because they keep waving their jaws at the camera.
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Post by crockatt on Feb 24, 2013 14:56:11 GMT
I do not envy you catching them, good luck, will look forward to your updates
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jen
Callow Ant
I am in the middle of exams, my hair is purple and mum won't let me get my lip pierced...
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
|
Post by jen on Feb 25, 2013 3:28:43 GMT
I'm thinking: Barbecue tongs with foam pads on the end so as not to damage the ants. Although I can imagine them not being too impressed by the whole procedure... It is hard to know what to place them in - A standard bucket is not going to work... We do have some 200 litre barrels around the place and dropping them in that may be the go. But yes, collecting them is going to be scary and a half...
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Post by crockatt on Feb 25, 2013 10:29:02 GMT
I am quite a novice myself but am wondering if you plan to get a queen from the colony as well and wonder how you will go about it as I presume you would have to dig for her ?!!!!
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jen
Callow Ant
I am in the middle of exams, my hair is purple and mum won't let me get my lip pierced...
Posts: 56
Likes: 8
|
Post by jen on Feb 25, 2013 21:24:55 GMT
The plan goes something like this... Cover myself in insect repellent... Put a 30cm high ring around the nest... Tap around the entrances so they run out to kill me... Pick 'em up one at a time, drop them into barrel... Go to hospital... Or... Pay dad $100 while I sit on the sofa with chocolate, coke zero and watch 'Aliens'... Sounds like a plan! Not in a hurry though - Too busy right now. And they are doing perfectly fine on the ground. But at least one nest will have to be removed so it is a good opportunity to grab them. Their new home might have to be huge though. Any ideas on overall size are welcome! I'm currently thinking an area about 4 x 1 x .5 (feet) L x H x D. I hope that will be enough...
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