Now those are sidewalk ants!
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At high tide fish eat ants; at low tide ants eat fish. – Thai proverb
This year we have at least five praying mantids in our yard that I see regularly. Most are green forms. I believe they are Iris oratoria, the introduced Mediterranean mantids, but please correct me if I’m wrong. The adult has a black eye spot on its hind wing.
There is one brown form. The first time I saw it, it was on a matching brown stem. Talk about cryptic coloration.
The next day it was on a green stem. Not so cryptic any more. Are you wondering why I’m doing a photo essay about praying mantids on an ant blog?
The hollyhock stem the brown mantid had chosen was an active rover ant (Brachymyrmex patagonicus) trail. At first I wondered if the rover ants would attack the mantid.
After all, the rover ants seemed pretty small to be worthwhile prey for a big mantis. Handling time, and all that.
Think again. In the short time I was watching and taking photos, this praying mantis caught and ate four rover ants. This is the best shot I got. So, I guess at least one predator thinks rover ants are a worthwhile meal. Do you have rover ants in your area? Have you ever seem a predator feed on rover ants? Many people want to know where they can find a queen ant.
Here in Phoenix the ant nests are filled with alates (winged ants) ready to swarm in late July and August.
In the day or so after a strong thundershower, called “monsoons” here, it is easy to find queens running across the ground looking for spots to nest. This week I found a great place to hunt – tennis courts. As the bright overhead lights came on in the evening after a big storm the night before, the queens ants themselves started to rain down. I collected queens of three different species in ten minutes. I wasn’t too interested in the rover ant queens, but noticed they were mating right there on the tennis court. It was amazing. Unfortunately my tennis buddies were not as thrilled as I was, so I didn’t get a chance to observe as much as I would have liked. You can guess where I’ll hanging out be next time it rains. Ever found queen ants attracted to the big lights at sporting events? Now here’s a well kept secret: Do you know about fluon, the slippery white material that is essential to keep ants where you want them (at least as much as possible)? It is available at that old standby of insect supplies, BioQuip as Insect-A-Slip Insect Barrier – Fluon It isn’t cheap, but you don’t need very much. Yeah BioQuip!!! |
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