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ecoevo.social is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
Dedicated to Ecology and Evolution. We welcome academics, students, industry scientists, folks from other fields with links to E&E, scientific societies, and nature enthusiasts in general.

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myrmepropagandist

Outdoor spaces without any insects (especially ants) in warm weather are creepy. I legit get an uncanny feeling wondering What Was Done to make this little park, yard, or garden so barren.

Do not ask "how do I get rid of bugs?" instead consider "which bugs would I prefer?"

Public
Melody Cooper

@futurebird I noticed this 5 years ago in New York. My neighborhood that used to have yellow jackets, slugs, and lots of lightning bugs in the summer was devoid of all. Some people were happy to not have the bugs. I was terrified because I knew it wasn’t right. Now I’m in LA where there are plenty of bees, lots of monarchs, even mosquitoes, and I feel better! But I think the changes that we are seeing are not about chemicals so much as climate change.

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myrmepropagandist

@MelodyCooper

Really? NYC has gotten warmer and wetter, but not dramatically (yet) -- I have noticed Lasius emarginatus doing well-- I never see Lasius Americanus, or neoniger anymore.

But I really think it's spraying since some blocks have life and others are dead.

Ironically people spray to kill roaches, and the spray is least effective against roaches, it kills everything else much more easily.

Then the roaches are the first to repopulate.

Great job! Now you have Only Roaches.

Public
myrmepropagandist

@MelodyCooper

Every environment has a "bug biomass load" that load could be a diverse collection of species or it could be all American Roaches. It's up to you!

If you use general poisons you are killing the ants, the isopods, the beetles, the flies, the spiders, the centipedes.

Most spray poisons aren't targeted. They have to be extra strong to kill the poison adapted Roach.

Baits are better, not ideal.

A basement w/ spiders, centipedes & ants will not be a welcome place for roaches.

9x9 image collage of various species of roaches. It reads "Every roach is beautiful and worthy of love." But the typical American pest roach is in the middle square and has "not you" written over it. FYI: I don't really hate pest roaches, I'm just tired of poor environmental management making these guys too common and they have a scary way of running at your shoes when you walk in the park.
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Rejin

@futurebird @MelodyCooper I lived in a Brooklyn row house with centipedes in the basement and no roaches. It was our best attached house experience!

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Flatbush Gardener 🌈

@futurebird
I've been meaning to ask you:
Why did these ants create a barn for their aphids in a shrub in my backyard?!
flic.kr/p/2oRNwum

The iNat observation for this. ID'd as Crematogaster.
inaturalist.org/observations/1

As of Tuesday, they were still there and active.

@MelodyCooper
@rejinl
@darwin

FlickrNOID ants (Formicidae) tending ants under shelterBy Flatbush Gardener
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myrmepropagandist

@xris @MelodyCooper @rejinl @darwin

Crematogaster ants are well known for sometimes building “carton” a paper like substance— it’s not just bees and wasps that do that kind of moulded construction! Though the carton fact is well known documentation of which species do it, and for what purposes isn’t well documented.

As for barn raising in ants? I’ve only heard of Lasius doing it— but this photo makes me want to read up more!

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