Rove beetle nugget, Megalopinus rufipes - a species which apparently hadn't been photographed alive until my sighting early last year. Sighted another this evening, under a pine log. 🖤
These tiny wasps never fail to make my day. Didn't see much today but she is enough. Just bouncy little red goofballs going about very serious wasp business and being some of the best hymenopteran ambassadors.
Omg yes. It's perfect. I'm so happy you made this, and it sparked joy. 🖤
The Amazon Ant nest which provided me with the coolest single creature I may ever find nearly 2 years ago is still there and active! I wondered if it would survive this past winter and a burn, and was glad to see both species out and about yesterday. Polyergus longicornis can no longer feed themselves, so they raid the nests of Formica dolosa ants and carry back "slave" workers to care for them. So if you find a nest, there will be two ant species in the same burrow. Usually you will just see the Formica out and about doing maintenence on the nest, but if disturbed the Polyergus and their large mandibles will come out ready to fight. Or if you're really lucky you'll catch them on a raid, which is quite a sight.
OR, if you're prepared to use your entire allowance of luck for your life, you'll catch a gynandromorph male/worker just emerged. 👀
The Amazon Ant nest which provided me with the coolest single creature I may ever find nearly 2 years ago is still there and active! I wondered if it would survive this past winter and a burn, and was glad to see both species out and about yesterday. Polyergus longicornis can no longer feed themselves, so they raid the nests of Formica dolosa ants and carry back "slave" workers to care for them. So if you find a nest, there will be two ant species in the same burrow. Usually you will just see the Formica out and about doing maintenence on the nest, but if disturbed the Polyergus and their large mandibles will come out ready to fight. Or if you're really lucky you'll catch them on a raid, which is quite a sight.
OR, if you're prepared to use your entire allowance of luck for your life, you'll catch a gynandromorph male/worker just emerged. 👀