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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2012 17:27:12 GMT 1
Hello, all. It seems I'm surrounded by swarming camponotus colonies. Three weeks ago I captured a camponotus castaneus queen in my front yard. Just an hour or so ago I captured a camponotus pennsylvanicus queen in my backyard. Talk about luck! She literally landed at my feet.
Took short trip to the hardware store for materials (I'm NOT prepared for all these large queens!) and now she's in a spacious tube, gorging herself on a drizzle of honey I placed on the cotton at the end.
I really have no idea where this good luck is coming from. I thought I was done anting.
I'm going to take photos of both queens. I'll add them in a reply post.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2012 18:16:24 GMT 1
Wow, I can't wait to see the pictures! ;D
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Post by Deleted on Aug 4, 2012 18:43:17 GMT 1
It seems really late for Camponotus pennsylvanicus. Can't wait to see pictures!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2012 1:58:56 GMT 1
Here are the photos I promised. First up, the carpenter queen: She still has her wings so there's a possibility she might not be mated. That's honey she's eating -- Gunter's Honey from Whole Foods, if anyone is curious (with a piece of honeycomb in the jar! YUM!). I wasn't sure she would accept it but she stopped exploring her new home to gorge herself as soon as I offered it. I ran a few errands, came home and this is what she looks like now: Look at how round her gaster is! The quality of my camera isn't that great but you can literally see her gaster stretching and the honey inside. Note: there's no honey left on the cotton plug! Here are the two photos of the castaneus queen. Her brood consists of several eggs, possible larvae and one small cocoon. She's a skittish monarch but calms quickly. It's been 21+ days since I found her. Her gaster is also a bit stretched/replete with food. A side by side shot of both queens. The size difference is incredible. I've only had one carpenter queen before so I've forgotten how big they are.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2012 2:04:46 GMT 1
It seems really late for Camponotus pennsylvanicus. Can't wait to see pictures! I thought the same thing. I'm hoping she will produce workers before she hibernates. I'm also worried she's virgin queen that missed the mating flights so the colony kicked her out. An ant spinster, ha!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2012 2:57:14 GMT 1
Oh wow! I didn't know your other queen was that small. She definitely isn't Camponotus castaneus. This is why the measurement is so important! She must be either Formica biophilica, or (likely) the southern, pale red variant of Formica pallidefulva. Looking back, I feel kind of stupid for not noticing it earlier.
I just found a freshly deceased Camponotus pennsylvanicus dealate all the way in Maine, so they are still having some late flights.
Check the thorax and legs for red coloration. I don't know how far south you live, so it could also possibly be C. chromaiodes.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2012 3:46:34 GMT 1
Oy. Never been too sure of the ID. I did post a photo showing the nodes and, well, I just kept going with castaneus... I blame wishful thinking! Formica biophilica: bugguide.net/node/view/415418/bgpageFormica pallidefulva: bugguide.net/node/view/666948I believe she looks like the second queen (pallidefulva). The dark orange stripes match the queen I have. Here's a castaneus queen for those that are curious. Seems obvious now, but again wishful thinking and I just assumed the photos made these queens look larger than they were. Now that I have my carpenter queen it's painfully obvious... bugguide.net/node/view/279998/bgpage
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