Myrmecocystus mexicanus: California's Largest Honeypot Ants 1/18/2019
During the summer of 2019, I was fortunate enough to go on a trip to the Mojave Desert. While the deserted landscape may seem desolate, it is teeming with an abundance of creatures, if you look in the right places. One of the best times to see desert life is right after a monsoon storm, which often take place in the summers. These storms drop immense amounts of rain in a short time, which often causes flash floods. However, these rains can also trigger the nuptial flights of ants, where the reproductive males and females fly out of the nest in search of a mate. Luckily for me, I visited the desert at the perfect time. A storm had come through and dropped multiple inches of rain over some easily accessible desert. Upon arrival to the sites which had received the most rain, I was able to find queens of many different species. One of the species I collected was Myrmecocystus mexicanus, the largest species of honeypot ant in California. Despite being amazing ants