Studies on Free Colonies of Cryptocerus Texanus Santschi(Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

For a number of years the writer has hoped to present habit data derived from a study of free colonies of Cryptocerus texanus.The need for such a study is apparent if papers previously published in this journal are consulted.Most of the reactions which Dr. R. E. Gregg and I discussed in our 1954 publication (I) were those of captive colonies of texanus installed in Janet or Field nests.The limitations of this type of study are shown by the fact that, after more than a year, during which time some of the colonies had been tested with a wide range of food, it was not even suspected that texanus subsists on pollen.In 1963 (2) after other inconclusive feeding experiments, the writer abandoned the artificial nests and installed colonies in sealed terraria that permitted limited foraging.The responses of the foragers, which at first seemed to be entirely without point, were finally recognized as activities which resulted in the collection of pollen g'rains.While their was no reaso.nto suppose that this pollen gathering was an abnormal response, there was good reason to suspect that the process might show interesting new features when carried on by a free colony.Some of these are discussed in this paper.The period during which the free colonies were.observed extended from late October to the middle of April.