Description: "Creepy but Cool" as one Refuge visitor described it. For a few days each summer, western harvester ants are very noticeable. Each colony produces winged alates. These "flying ants" gather in mating swarms. The males die soon after mating and the females attempt to found new colonies. Only a small number of queens will be successful. Successfully established colonies may persist for over 20 years! Colonies usually contain a single queen who is responsible for producing the eggs. It has been reported that the mating swarms occur one to two days after a significant rain. That matches what was observed this year. Epic thunderstorm on Sunday with the ant swarms on Monday and Tuesday. The majority of a colony is made up of workers. They do most of the work in a mature colony, including collecting pollen and seeds from the plants directly and gathering seeds from the ground. They also gather insects and store the food for winters when food becomes scarce. Viewed from Google Earth, Western harvester ant colonies are one of the most notable features of the sage-steppe on and around Seedskadee NWR. Photo: Tom Koerner/USFWS. Date: 2 August 2016, 11:49. Source: Western Harvester Ant Swarm on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge. Author: USFWS Mountain-Prairie.
Author: xpda. Description: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, western harvester ant, ID Confidence: 88. Depicted place: Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa County, CO. Date: 3 September 2013. Credit line: Robert Webster / xpda.com / CC-BY-SA-4.0. References: Pictures from Earth, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. Source: Own work. Licensing[edit] : This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. :. You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions: attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 truetrue.
Author: xpda. Description: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, western harvester ant, ID Confidence: 98. Depicted place: Southeast of Alamosa, CO. Date: 14 September 2012. Credit line: Robert Webster / xpda.com / CC-BY-SA-4.0. References: bugguide.netPictures from Earth, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. Source: Own work. Licensing[edit] : This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. :. You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions: attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 truetrue.
Description: English: A characteristic nest mound of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, Hallelujah Junction, California. Date: 31 May 2004, 19:23:32. Source: Own work. Author: Alex Wild.
Author: xpda. Description: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, western harvester ant, ID Confidence: 88. Depicted place: Great Sand Dunes National Park, Alamosa County, CO. Date: 3 September 2013. Credit line: Robert Webster / xpda.com / CC-BY-SA-4.0. References: Pictures from Earth, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. Source: Own work. Licensing[edit] : This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. :. You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions: attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 truetrue.
Author: xpda. Description: Pogonomyrmex occidentalis, western harvester ant, ID Confidence: 98. Depicted place: Southeast of Alamosa, CO. Date: 14 September 2012. Credit line: Robert Webster / xpda.com / CC-BY-SA-4.0. References: bugguide.netPictures from Earth, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis. Source: Own work. Licensing[edit] : This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. :. You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions: attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. share alike – If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same or compatible license as the original. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 CC BY-SA 4.0 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 truetrue.
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