Ant Species

After a young queen ant is mated, depending on what species your queen ant is some are Claustral, Semi-Claustral and Socially Parasitic. What the different between them? 1. Claustral - Are queen ants that find a place and seals herself inside the chamber and use her body to feed her eggs and larva. No food needed until her first workers arrive. 2. Semi-Claustral- Are queen ants that need some food. They stay in their chamber nest sometime and go out to hunt for food while raising the first brood. 1. 3. Socially parasitic - Queen cannot found alone; she must enter a host colony.

Species: Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile) Sting: Argentine ants do not sting. They may bite lightly, but it is harmless. Location found: Alabama Food They Need: They feed on a wide variety of foods, including: Unsalted crackers, Bread, Sweet drinks, Cakes, Pet food, Meat, Mealworms, Earthworms, Termites, Many small insects. They accept almost any protein or sugar source. Young Queen Ant in Test Tube: Fully Claustral. She does not need food until her first workers arrive. After workers arrive, offer: Tiny sugar water, Fruit jelly, Very small insect pieces. Ant Keeper Level: Easy, Grow fast!

Species: Aphaenogaster Tennesseensis Stings?: Yes Nuptial flight: Late April – June. Location: Found them in Newton AL Food They Need: Mealworms, crickets, termites, prey on small invertebrates and parts of insects and other insects that they find. Crushed sunflower seeds, Tiny bits of soft fruit. Young Mated Queen Ant in a Test Tube: Can not be kept in a test tube to found along. She is a Parasitic that will need to take over A. Rudis, A. Fulva and A. Colonies until she has Aphaenogaster Tennesseensis youngling. Ant Keeper Level: advanced‑level

Species: Aphaenogaster Rudis / Texana / Carolinensis/Fulva Stings?: Yes but more likley to spray formic acid Nuptial flight: Rudis: April – June. Texana: May – July Carolinensis: May – July  Fulva: June – August  Location: Found them in Newton AL and Phil Campbelle Food They Need: Mealworms, crickets, termites, prey on small invertebrates and parts of insects and other insects that they find. Crushed sunflower seeds, Tiny bits of soft fruit. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: SEMI‑claustral, She will need food.

Species: Brachymyrmex Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: All year round. Location: Found them in my location Ozark, AL. Food They Need: Fruit flies, Soft cricket or mealworm pieces, termites, very small insect bits. Maple syrup, Sugar water, Honey water, apple, orange, blueberry, grape. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: fully claustral, she does not need food until the first workers arrives. Ant Keeper: Easy

Species: Brachyponera Chinensis Stings?: Yes Nuptial flight: July-Sept. Mostly start in Aug. Location: Found them in Newton, AL. Food They Need: Termites provide protein + moisture, making them ideal. They will also eat crickets, cockroaches, springtails, bettles and larvae, crane files, eathworm, spiders, centipedes. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: Semi-Claustral- mean she will need to be fed, she will take prekill termite, roach nymph, cricket leg. Ant Keeper Level: Expert Only

Species: Cyphomyrmex - fungus ant (they grow yeast) Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: May - Aug Location: Found them in my location AL. Food They Need: use the mycelium and yeast as a food source, Caterpillar/hornworm frass, Other insect frass, Tiny bits of decaying plant matter, Occasional soft insect bodies as substrate. Mealworm frass, or decaying leaf bits are acceptable starters.to feed the fungus/yeast. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: Their queens cannot start a colony without a small piece of fungus, which they carry after mating. Caterpillar frass, roach frass, mealworm frass, or decaying leaf bits are acceptable starters.to feed the fungus/yeast. Ant Keeper: Hard

Species: Camponotus snellingi Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: April - July Location: Found them in my location AL. Food They Need: They love variety of insects and fruits such as crickets, mealworms, super-worms, termites, fruit flies, roaches. They love sugar water, crystallized sugar, nectars. protein jelly, pure honey, honey water, honeydew extract, fruits like apples, pears, or watermelon. (Make sure to switch up food every once in while so to beneficial your ant’s health.) Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: fully claustral, she does not need food until the first workers arrives. Ant Keeper: Easy–Moderate

Species: Camponotus Nearcticus Stings?: No Nuptial flight: April - June Location: Found them in my location AL. Food They Need: They love variety of insects and fruits such as crickets, mealworms, super-worms, termites, fruit flies, roaches. They love sugar water, crystallized sugar, nectar, protein jelly, pure honey, honey water, honeydew extract, fruits like apples, pears, or watermelon. (Make sure to switch up food every once in while so to beneficial your ant’s health.) Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: fully claustral, She does not need food until workers arrive. Ant Keeper: Easy–Moderate

Species: Camponotus pennsylvanicus Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: April (southern state early) - June nocturnal flights, beginning around sunset at 75°F Location: Newton, AL. Food They Need: They love variety of insects and fruits such as crickets, mealworms, super-worms, termites, fruit flies, roaches. They love sugar water, crystallized sugar, nectar, protein jelly, pure honey, honey water, honeydew extract, fruits like apples, pears, or watermelon. (Make sure to switch up food every once in while so to beneficial your ant’s health.) Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: fully claustral, She does not need food until workers arrive. Ant Keeper: Easy

Species: Camponotus floridanus Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: May - Aug Location: Found them in Columbia, AL. Food They Need: They love variety of insects and fruits such as crickets, mealworms, super-worms, termites, fruit flies, roaches. They love sugar water, crystallized sugar, nectars. protein jelly, pure honey, honey water, honeydew extract, fruits like apples, pears, or watermelon. (Make sure to switch up food every once in while so to beneficial your ant’s health.) Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: fully claustral, She does not need food until workers arrive. Ant Keeper: Easy

Species: Componentus Chromaiodes Stings?: No Nuptial flight: April - July Location: Found them in Newton AL Food They Need: They love variety of insects and fruits such as crickets, mealworms, super-worms, termites, fruit flies, roaches. They love sugar water, sugar water, nectars. protein jelly, pure honey, honey water, honeydew extract, fruits like apples, pears, or watermelon. (Make sure to switch up food every once in while so to beneficial your ant’s health.) Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: fully claustral, She does not need food until workers arrive. Ant Keeper: Easy

Species: Camponotus Castaneus Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: April - July Location: Found them in Newton AL. Food They Need: any insects, fruits(paires, orange, apple), superworms, mealworms, dubia roaches, and fruit flies. They require sugar water or honey. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: fully claustral, She does not need food until workers arrive.

Species: Crematogaster cerasi Stings?: NO but they spray acidic foam onto their pray. Nuptial flight: July – September Location: Found them in Columbia, AL. Food They Need: Small insects (mealworms, fruit flies, roaches, crickets) and sweet liquids (sugar water, honey water, nectar, maple syrup). Small fruit pieces like apple or watermelon are optional treats. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: fully claustral, She does not need food until workers arrive. Ant Keeper Level: Easy

Species: Dorymyrmex bureni Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: Middle May through early summer, especially after warm rains. Location: Found them in Daleville and Newton, AL Food They Need: Fresh water, Sugar water, Honey water, Maple syrup water, Fruit pieces (apple, grape, blueberry, melon), Nectar and honeydew (in the wild) and Fruit flies, Gnats. Small roaches, Mealworm pieces, Soft‑bodied insects, crickets, termites. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: She is fully claustral, she does not need food until her first workers arrive. Ant Keeper: Easy

Species: Dorymyrmex Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: Middle May through early summer, especially after warm rains. Location: Found them in Daleville and Newton, AL Food They Need: Fresh water, Sugar water, Honey water, Maple syrup water, Fruit pieces (apple, grape, blueberry, melon), Nectar and honeydew (in the wild) and Fruit flies, Gnats. Small roaches, Mealworm pieces, Soft‑bodied insects, crickets, termites. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: She is fully claustral, she does not need food until her first workers arrive. Ant Keeper: Easy

Species: Formica Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: June-September Location: Found them at Phil Campbelle, AL Food They Need: live and dead insects, seeds and honeydew, meats, grease, liver, fruit jucies honeydew, and zoophagy and plants, saps, seeds, fungi. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: Semi claustral, She will need food.

Species: Nylanderia Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: Late April – May, with some species flying into early summer. Location: Found them in Newton, AL. Food They Need: insects, termites, honeydew from aphids, plant juices, and sugary liquids. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: Semi-claustral, She will need food. Ant Keeper Level: Easy

Species: Pseudomyrmex Gracilis Stings? YES Nuptial Flights : March – November  Location: Native to Mexico and South American. Some part of US. Found this ant in AL. Food They Eat: Honey or sugar water, Cut‑up insects (mealworms, roaches, crickets, fruit flies, etc.) They strongly prefer fresh, soft protein pieces. They will also take sweet liquids readily. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: Semi-claustral, She will need food. Ant Keeper: Hard but they are manageable for someone with experience and good escape‑proofing.

Species: Pseudomyrmex ejectus Stings?: Yes Nuptial flight: May - July Location: Found them in my location AL. Food They Need: Tiny drops of honey or sugar water. Small soft‑bodied insects (fruit flies, termites, small mealworm pieces). They prefer fresh, soft protein. They do NOT eat seeds or dry foods Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: Semi-claustral, She will need food. Ant Keeper Level: Moderate

Species: Prenolepis imparis. (Winter Ant) Stings? NO Nuptial Flight: Feb - April. Location: Found them in AL. Food they need: They eat small insects, termites, any earthworms. They drink liquids from nectar and the sugars. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: Fully claustral, She does not need food until the first workers arrives. Ant Keeper: Easy

Species: Pheidole obscurithorax Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: May - July Location: Found them in Ozark, AL. Food They Need: They are omnivorous and collects a variety of insects and ants. They loves mealworms, caterpillars, earthworms and any insects and they love vary of food bread, cracker, raw honey and more. Young Mated Queen Ant in a Test Tube: fully claustral, she does not need food until her first workers arrive. Ant Keeper: Easy

Species: Pheidole Dentata Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: June-September Location: Found them at John Huto Park, Newton AL Food They Need: live and dead insects, seeds and honeydew, meats, grease, liver, fruit jucies and they can remove and disperse seeds. Young Mated Queen Ant in your test tube: Fully claustral, She will not need food until the first workers arrives. Ant Keeper: Easy

Species: Solenopsis invicta  (Red Imported Fire Ants) Stings? YES Nuptial Flight: Spring flights: roughly April–June Fall flights: roughly September–October In the afternoon after a rainy day and humidity. Between 70 and 95 degrees F. When there is low wind and high humidity, and usually within 24 hours of a rain. Location: Southern State NC, SC, TN, AL,GA, FL, MS, AR, LA, OK, TX, NM, AZ, and through some part of CA. Food they eat: dead bird, any insects, mealworms, earthworms, crickets, termites, bread, cracker, sweet honey water and sugars and any vary of food. Young Mated Queen Ant in a Test Tube: fully claustral, she does not need food until her first workers arrive. Ant Keeper: Hard

Species: Trachymyrmex septentrionalis   Common Name: Northern Fungus‑Farming Ant (a small leaf‑cutter relative) Stings?: NO Nuptial flight: May - Aug Location: Found them in my location AL. This species is native across the eastern and southern United States. Food They Need: They collect plant materials to feed their fungus garden, which is their true food source. Steel cut oats/organic oats, dry rose petal, detritus, coconut fiber, dried strawberry, almond chips, apple peels, orange peel, grape and grape leaves, blueberry, nectar, Frass from cricket, mealworms, capitellar, and other insects frass, grass, seed, leaf, and plants based to grow fungus to provide for their colony. Young Mated Queen Ant in a Test Tube: Semi-Claustral - She will need food for her first fungus starter. Tiny plant bits, oats, petals, fruit. Ant Keeper: Moderate – Hard