Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2012 3:13:24 GMT 1
Mine are to find and watch Leafcutter ants in action, in Arizona. No, I won't be getting any...they are too hard to keep and require professional care and a professional setup. I do want to see them, though. They are my favorite non-antfarm ant in the world. They'll be flying the same time that I'll be in Arizona, though...they fly in the monsoon rains.
I want to find a Pogonomyrmex queen, hopefully Pogonomyrmex rugosus or another cool looking Pogonomyrmex species. I already have Pogonomyrmex maricopa and those are really neat. I probably will avoid getting Pogonomyrmex californicus, don't have much luck with them. I did find a Pogonomyrmex rugosus queen a couple years ago, but she wasn't mated with and never laid a single egg.
I really want to find a Myrmecocystus queen...but they fly in Spring time I believe, so I may not be able to find one. The only time I'll have a chance of finding one is if I see one on the way up to Yosemite in June or on the way back...assuming we stop in a desert area on the way up there and on the way back to San Diego. But, I doubt I should bring a Myrmecocystus queen into a state park...so I don't know. I did see a queen two years ago when I went to Yosemite, but was afraid to get her as I didn't want to get in trouble. Do you think it matters, as long as I keep the queen in a tube (that she couldn't escape from) or a small container and never even look at her? Assuming I see one at all on the way up there. I've always wanted a colony of them. They are awesome ants. Probably in my top ten favorite species of North America. We used to have some nearby where I live, but they've been wiped out by Argentine ants. But, I've heard they are really easy to raise.
It would be cool to see Army ants in action...I've seen them a few times in the valley, but never seen them raiding or attacking an ant nest. I'm sure they have, as they even wipe out the Argentine ants wherever they maraud. In the valley, nests of Argentine ants are completely wiped out in an area by them. One day there are many thousands of Argentine ants, an Army ant raid happens and then there are zero Argentine ants in the entire area. Too bad I've never actually seen them in action, though.
I want to find a Pheidole queen, that isn't Pheidole hyatti. I like the small, tiny Pheidole species...they are more willing to eat oat bits and seeds than Pheidole hyatti are. Plus, they do way more digging. Never been able to find one, though.
It may be neat to get a Dorymyrmex bicolor colony. But all the colonies I know of were destroyed by either construction+Argentine ants or wiped out by Forelius. Dorymyrmex don't seem to do that great here and I actually haven't had much success with them in captivity.
And...that is my goals of ant sightings and finding queens.
I want to find a Pogonomyrmex queen, hopefully Pogonomyrmex rugosus or another cool looking Pogonomyrmex species. I already have Pogonomyrmex maricopa and those are really neat. I probably will avoid getting Pogonomyrmex californicus, don't have much luck with them. I did find a Pogonomyrmex rugosus queen a couple years ago, but she wasn't mated with and never laid a single egg.
I really want to find a Myrmecocystus queen...but they fly in Spring time I believe, so I may not be able to find one. The only time I'll have a chance of finding one is if I see one on the way up to Yosemite in June or on the way back...assuming we stop in a desert area on the way up there and on the way back to San Diego. But, I doubt I should bring a Myrmecocystus queen into a state park...so I don't know. I did see a queen two years ago when I went to Yosemite, but was afraid to get her as I didn't want to get in trouble. Do you think it matters, as long as I keep the queen in a tube (that she couldn't escape from) or a small container and never even look at her? Assuming I see one at all on the way up there. I've always wanted a colony of them. They are awesome ants. Probably in my top ten favorite species of North America. We used to have some nearby where I live, but they've been wiped out by Argentine ants. But, I've heard they are really easy to raise.
It would be cool to see Army ants in action...I've seen them a few times in the valley, but never seen them raiding or attacking an ant nest. I'm sure they have, as they even wipe out the Argentine ants wherever they maraud. In the valley, nests of Argentine ants are completely wiped out in an area by them. One day there are many thousands of Argentine ants, an Army ant raid happens and then there are zero Argentine ants in the entire area. Too bad I've never actually seen them in action, though.
I want to find a Pheidole queen, that isn't Pheidole hyatti. I like the small, tiny Pheidole species...they are more willing to eat oat bits and seeds than Pheidole hyatti are. Plus, they do way more digging. Never been able to find one, though.
It may be neat to get a Dorymyrmex bicolor colony. But all the colonies I know of were destroyed by either construction+Argentine ants or wiped out by Forelius. Dorymyrmex don't seem to do that great here and I actually haven't had much success with them in captivity.
And...that is my goals of ant sightings and finding queens.