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What are these ants I keep finding around my house?

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Slade Trillgon
Brutor Force Federated
#21 - 2014-05-04 22:28:25 UTC  |  Edited by: Slade Trillgon
Reaver Glitterstim wrote:


The question remains, then, why there are multiple queens running around making themselves easy targets? But I'm pretty satisfied that what I have here is a carpenter ant queen.



Whelp, I meant to include queen in my list in my first post Oops

What SC said above about weather conditions is a good point. Ants in my area get reall active just after a heavy rain as they were pushed out/up. If you have had a lot of rain recently maybe the colonies have been pushed up and the queens are having to relocate/wait the dry out. Other than that a colony on the move in its natural course is a possibility.
Unsuccessful At Everything
The Troll Bridge
#22 - 2014-05-04 22:39:24 UTC
It never hurts to have a pest specialist come out and take a look.




I thought I once had a small carpenter ant problem.... turned into a 15 thousand dollar nightmare when we found them clear up in the rafters eating structure.

Since the cessation of their usefulness is imminent, may I appropriate your belongings?
Snagletooth Johnson
Center for Advanced Studies
Gallente Federation
#23 - 2014-05-05 03:20:54 UTC  |  Edited by: Snagletooth Johnson
Reaver Glitterstim wrote:
Synthetic Cultist wrote:
is there a possibility that they are queen ants ?

What is the weather like where you are ? Some ants don't really hibernate, especially ones that live under or near houses, as the warmth from the house keeps them active, so the ants continue to reproduce throughout the year, and queens emerge at all sorts of times, not just late summer.

Maybe capture one and put it in a jar of soil to see if it constructs a burrow. That might tell you if it's a queen.
Excellent point, in fact I think you solved the problem. Apparently the queens and males have smaller heads in proportion to their bodies. Carpenter ant colonies are known to have multiple queens that are intolerant of each other. And as you pointed out, the workers may not need to be seen outside, but that doesn't mean the queens won't come out.

But best of all, have a look at this. That is, as far as I can tell, exactly what I've been seeing.

The question remains, then, why there are multiple queens running around making themselves easy targets? But I'm pretty satisfied that what I have here is a carpenter ant queen.

stoicfaux wrote:
Termite?
Nobody who knows what a thorax is would EVER mistake a termite for an ant. Ants would more easily be mistaken for spiders, even though that would be like mistaking a horse for a squirrel.


Yes, that's a Queen ant. Most Queen ants of any species have that distinct hump on the midsection where the wings would be. It's packed full of muscle that turns to fat after mating. Also the larger abdomen. If you're seeing lots of them, it's not surprising, it's spring. It's that time when the colonies release the horde of Queens and males to fly out and mate...some return to the nest, most die or start their own nest. It can last anywhere from a few hours to a nearly a week (off and on, from my own observations).

Ant Nuptial Flights
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