4 replies to this topic

[yrodro]

I got two quick pictures today while feeding 10 founding queens. Hopefully these are enough for you experts. If comments are negative, I'll try for extra images next time I take them out in the light.

Queen 1 was captured on July 7 2021 on the sidewalk of a public garden/plaza north of Indianapolis around 12pm. She is very skittish, and has run out of her tube when I tried to give a drop of honey (that's why I didn't take more pics). You can see her trying to hide the head under the feeding tray. Her larvae spin cocoons. Has one node petiole.

Queen 2 was captured August 10, 2021 at IUPUI campus (large lawn nearby), Indianapolis on the outer steps of a building. Had 4 dark wings, and laid 4-6 eggs about 2 days later. It looks like she also has one node petiole, and the white spot at the tip of the gaster is just cotton.

Thanks for your help!

[zA-Z0-9]

formica pallidefulva i think

[Froggy]

formica pallidefulva i think

I agree with this (at least for the species group, I'm not sure about the species), but the bottom one looks like Formica fusca group.

[CheetoLord02]

Formica pallidefulva and fusca group. The most common of those being Formica pallidefulva and subsericea, although differentiating between species in those groups is kind of a nightmare.

[TennesseeAnts]

I agree with Cheeto. I think the first queen might be F. incerta, but I'd need a clear shot of the mesosoma to be sure.