And now the “carny” rolls over here to Wild About Ants for September. We’re looking for blog posts about all things invertebrate. Send your posts to wildaboutants AT gmail (dot) com and we [...]]]> The August 2010 Circus of the Spineless (#54) is all set up at Hectocotyli, so go take a look at the newest “carny.”

And now the “carny” rolls over here to Wild About Ants for September. We’re looking for blog posts about all things invertebrate. Send your posts to wildaboutants AT gmail (dot) com and we will try to fill that vacant field…

Now those are sidewalk ants!

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 [...]]]> 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?

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 [...]]]> 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?

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!!!

Kingdom of Ants: José Celestino Mutis and the Dawn of Natural History by Edward O. Wilson and José M. Gómez Durán is about José Celestino Mutis’ exploration of northern South America in the 1760’s. Although he investigated and explored in a number [...]]]> Have you heard about the new ant books coming out this fall?

Kingdom of Ants: José Celestino Mutis and the Dawn of Natural History by Edward O. Wilson and José M. Gómez Durán is about José Celestino Mutis’ exploration of northern South America in the 1760’s. Although he investigated and explored in a number of scientific fields, this book involves his study of, you guessed it, ants! It is due to be released October 21, 2010.

Hardcover: 120 pages
Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1 edition
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0801897858
ISBN-13: 978-0801897856

If you can read Spanish, check José M. Gómez Durán’s blog.

Leafcutter Ants:  Civilization by Instinct is the newest offering by Bert Hoelldobler and Edward O. Wilson. It is going to be a paperback and due to be released November 15, 2010.

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Original edition
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393338681
ISBN-13: 978-0393338683

Amazon seems to be offering a good pre-release price on the leafcutter ant one.

Forelius are incredibly fast.

They do slow down when they find something interesting, like this dead honey bee.

What is on the honey bee’s wing? It had just rained so there’s [...]]]> Sometimes it is hard to conceive how much ants move their colonies around. For example, this week a fairly large Forelius colony showed up in our yard.

Forelius are incredibly fast.

They do slow down when they find something interesting, like this dead honey bee.

What is on the honey bee’s wing? It had just rained so there’s water condensation.

I guess it could be refraction, but it looks almost like paint.

We also found the little ants will slow down for honey. Talk about exploding ants

I hope these stay for awhile.

Any ants on the move in your area?

Unlike some children’s books about ants, all the information appears current and accurate. In the margins are extremely silly riddles and puns, sure to catch the interest of [...]]]> In another domain I reviewed a children’s book that I realized people might be interested in here. It a great beginning reader called Ants by Melissa Stewart.

Unlike some children’s books about ants, all the information appears current and accurate. In the margins are extremely silly riddles and puns, sure to catch the interest of young children. Most of the different kinds of ants are identified, but the names aren’t central to the text. If the child is curious about the ants in the photograph, he or she can find out what kind of ant it is.

Ants is part of the National Geographic Readers series. That means the lucky author has access to the fantastic photographs available in the National Geographic archives. Right away I recognized a couple of photographs by ant specialist and National Geographic photographer, Dr. Mark Moffett. What a visual treat!

If you know a child interested in nature and/or science, you might want to consider picking up this book.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: National Geographic Children’s Books (January 12, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1426306083
ISBN-13: 978-1426306082

Additional posts children may find interesting:

Ants Fact of Fiction Quiz
The Little Black Ant
Kids’ Questions about Ants

To celebrate her menu of invertebrate delights, what better than a serving of escamoles?

Yummy!

Have you ever eaten ants?

Photograph from Wikimedia by Cvmontuy, Taken on “Los parados” Dr. vertis, Mexico D.F.