Last year was the first real intense year on collecting ants (Formicidae). To that end most of the collecting was done by picking up any random foragers I found. I decided to do this to give me just a simplified general understanding of what ants are present in the area.

This year I’m doing it a little differently, by collecting ant nest series. Basically this means I’ll be collecting a large number of individuals from nests to get the variations between workers (minors and majors) as well as the different castes (workers, queens, males). Obviously males are only present at certain times of the year and the queens can be difficult to find so collecting them is an added bonus. Ants are identified using the worker castes so getting the variety of them is the way to go.

When I find a nest I take notes on location, size, appearance, etc. I collect the ants I want and try to find the queen. I also take notes on the ants behavior when disturbed and whether any larvae, pupae, or alates are present. I also note if I find more than one ant species in the same nest. As you can see I also take a picture of the nest with a ruler and a note card that shows which sample it is.

The 2019 season just started so I’m ready to really start collecting. The first outing was this past weekend and I collected six samples so far. I could have gotten more but like a noob I only brought a few vials and ran out..I should have known better…..oh well.

Here are some pictures of some of the ant nests I took some series of.