ANTSTORE World of Ants

[ElliotHC]

Hi,

Yesterday I wend for a walk in the woods and to my amazement I stumbled across a load of Camponotus, I am pretty sure they are ligniperdus. I was wondering if anyone has tried adding ants from other colonies or eggs of the same subspecies?

Will they just fight and kill my queen?

[Shiver]

Assuming you are UK based as your flag indicates, you won't have found a Camponotus colony!

Maybe a Formica species that is reddish in colour, either way, I would not try to mix the two.

You can boost with eggs, larvae or cocoons (risky in some cases) of the same species (Some exceptions when dealing with slave raiding ants)

[ElliotHC]

They look identical, perhaps I should capture one and get it under the microscope. I can post the photo.

[Shiver]

They aren't native to the UK, and the chances of you finding a released and surviving colony of the same type you bought from Antstore a week previously seems pretty low to me! haha

[ElliotHC]

I am convinced that it is not Formica, it will be interesting collecting a few anyway.. They were very aggresive as I remember trying to tease one with a blade of grass.

[ElliotHC]

Ok, so after some more careful viewing it may not be Camponotus, anyone think they know? Sorry about the phone image.

I made a little bug catcher box with two bits of leftover hose and a tuppaware container, I have to say after about 30 ants I started to feel a bit dodgy from inhaling all the formic acid vapour... I have put them all in my spare formicarium, there were millions of them so I guess 30 won't be too missed. They are far more interesting to watch than my colony, these guys are very busy bees!

[baumarkthammer]

That is a Formica sp..
Maybe Formica rufibarbis, but I wouldn´t promise that this is right because the picture isn´t that good. But for sure those are Fromica.

[Shiver]

Be careful when collecting those as they might be a protected species, you need to check the law yourself though as I am not 100% sure... (assuming they are F.rufibarbis).

However, Formica rufibarbis are extremely rare in the UK and only found in a few locations so where did you collect them? Might help to ID them...

[ElliotHC]

Ah, I took them back around lunchtime so unless we can use the photos I have to ID them I would have to go back and suck some up again.

[ElliotHC]

Having looked at Formica rufibarbis they are quite different, they seem to have large lighter coloured puffed out cheeks. They also (which may be common) rear up and point thier back ends forwards when challanged.

[ElliotHC]

I think it is Formica aquilonia

[Shiver]

If I remember correctly, Formica aquilonia are very much Northern based, as in mainly Scotland... Where did you collect them, roughly

[ElliotHC]

East Sussex

[ElliotHC]

Looks like they may be rufibarbis (Rufa?), and they are threatened.. Very cool, I will have to get down there with my macro and get some good photos.

[Shiver]

They are not likely to be Formica aquilonia then. The only references I can find of nest sites of Formica rufibarbis in mainland UK are Chobham Common, so did you find them there? Or very close by?