tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post8701511939001442770..comments2023-12-23T04:37:14.632-08:00Comments on Gaia Garden: Invertebrate NeighborsGaia Gardener:http://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-66121228269644265642007-05-30T21:15:00.000-07:002007-05-30T21:15:00.000-07:00I saw another similar colony yesterday morning...a...I saw another similar colony yesterday morning...and now realize why I didn't remember seeing any soldiers. The ants are so small that it's hard for me to make them out without magnification.Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-3976837573588410042007-05-28T20:55:00.000-07:002007-05-28T20:55:00.000-07:00Thanks. I'm sorry but I have to admit that I don'...Thanks. I'm sorry but I have to admit that I don't remember whether there were any soldiers or not. I will watch to see if any other, similar colony mounds get built and look a little more closely next time.<BR/><BR/>How unusual is it for ant species to have soldier castes? Is it normal to be able to identify ants by genus (at least partially) based upon caste structure of the colony?Gaia Gardener:https://www.blogger.com/profile/00692281131036600613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24376388.post-49902053364077836072007-05-25T18:22:00.000-07:002007-05-25T18:22:00.000-07:00Nice pictures..I took some photos of the same milk...Nice pictures..I took some photos of the same milkweed at Clinton Lake today. The ants are interesting. Did you notice any with large heads? May seem an odd question but I think your ants are in the genus Pheidole which has a soldier caste. That type of entrance is pretty characteristic of the Pheidole I have seen around here.Paul D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00535027161567978343noreply@blogger.com