Suggestions for atta texana collections
Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:19 pm
Hello there i am a long time lover of leaf cutter ants specifically the nearby atta texana species which is a few hours away. I have been researching on and off your years and attempting to find a colony i can purchase myself with no such luck. So i have decided to make a road trip out of it and collect a few (hopefully) myself!!
I understand quite a bit about finding the colonies such as looking in areas around college station, looking for small turret like mounds near by but not within nesting range of mature colonies, searching in river vallies with sandy soil and or loamy soil. I also know that when you find the colony you are to dig a trench about a foot or foot and a half away from the mound and then pulling away slivers on soil untill the fungus garden and queen are exposed!
What i am comming to you all for today is possible suggestions that you could offer to me that may help me find and collect colonies. As akward as the situation may be I do not own land in the area and will half to search in parks and hiking trail areas for colonies. So i may be approached by bystandards and asked what im looking in the dirt for haha. So if you have any suggestions please let me know it will be much appreciated. I am planning on taking this trip in may or esrly june to avoid too hott of weather snd hopefully the downpoors they have been experiencing.
A few questions i have for you all are.
1. How difficult is it to differentiate from a new young colony with a turret like mound from a small sattelite nest or mound? I have been told it gets quite difficult... my best guess would be to look at the little balls of dirt that make up the mound and the finer they are the more likely it is to be a young colony. Is this accurate?
2. How should i search for colonies in ricer valleys and expect to find colonies there after such great flooding they have had?? Should I focus my searches near large fields at a higher elevation?
Thank you all for your time and any idias or helo you can offer is greatly appreciated
Ieatflys
I understand quite a bit about finding the colonies such as looking in areas around college station, looking for small turret like mounds near by but not within nesting range of mature colonies, searching in river vallies with sandy soil and or loamy soil. I also know that when you find the colony you are to dig a trench about a foot or foot and a half away from the mound and then pulling away slivers on soil untill the fungus garden and queen are exposed!
What i am comming to you all for today is possible suggestions that you could offer to me that may help me find and collect colonies. As akward as the situation may be I do not own land in the area and will half to search in parks and hiking trail areas for colonies. So i may be approached by bystandards and asked what im looking in the dirt for haha. So if you have any suggestions please let me know it will be much appreciated. I am planning on taking this trip in may or esrly june to avoid too hott of weather snd hopefully the downpoors they have been experiencing.
A few questions i have for you all are.
1. How difficult is it to differentiate from a new young colony with a turret like mound from a small sattelite nest or mound? I have been told it gets quite difficult... my best guess would be to look at the little balls of dirt that make up the mound and the finer they are the more likely it is to be a young colony. Is this accurate?
2. How should i search for colonies in ricer valleys and expect to find colonies there after such great flooding they have had?? Should I focus my searches near large fields at a higher elevation?
Thank you all for your time and any idias or helo you can offer is greatly appreciated
Ieatflys