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Any idea what kind of queen ant is smaller than a pen head?

Started By Crazycow , Sep 10 2021 9:39 AM

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13 replies to this topic

#1 Offline Crazycow - Posted September 10 2021 - 9:39 AM

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So I was searching for queens the other night and I saw the tiniest little queen so wings and I had a little micro scope thing and took a look and it was sure enough some sort of queen. I went to grab a test tube to try and collect it but when I got back it was gone. The thing that it confusing me is it was at least 1 millimeters or maybe less and I’ve never heard of any queen that small in Washington.

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#2 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 10 2021 - 11:41 AM

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Could have been a solitary wasp if it was really that small.

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"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#3 Offline UtahAnts - Posted September 10 2021 - 12:55 PM

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You sure it wasn't a drone?

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#4 Offline Crazycow - Posted September 10 2021 - 1:14 PM

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You sure it wasn't a drone?

Yeah I’m sure.

#5 Offline Crazycow - Posted September 10 2021 - 1:15 PM

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Could have been a solitary wasp if it was really that small.

It’s possible but it looked very much like a queen ant. It had the smaller eyes and the straight antenna ants have so I’m not sure.

#6 Offline Crazycow - Posted September 10 2021 - 1:17 PM

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To put it in perspective it was about the size of the spring-tales that had also gathered near the light I was using

#7 Offline JamesJohnson - Posted September 10 2021 - 1:52 PM

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Could have been a solitary wasp if it was really that small.
It’s possible but it looked very much like a queen ant. It had the smaller eyes and the straight antenna ants have so I’m not sure.

Ants don’t have straight antennae. Solitary wasps on the other hand, do. Easiest way for me at least to tell right off the bat whether or not something’s an ant.

Edited by JamesJohnson, September 10 2021 - 1:53 PM.

#8 Offline ANTdrew - Posted September 10 2021 - 2:00 PM

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Wasps have straight or slightly curved antennae. No queens in North America are the size of a springtail.

"The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer." Prov. 30:25
Keep ordinary ants in extraordinary ways.

#9 Offline Crazycow - Posted September 10 2021 - 2:04 PM

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Alright well that’s one tiny little wasp

#10 Offline NickAnter - Posted September 10 2021 - 2:05 PM

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Well... Some Strumigenys can come pretty close there actually, but you probably didn't find Strumigenys.

Hi there! I went on a 6 month or so hiatus, in part due, and in part cause of the death of my colonies.

However, I went back to the Sierras, and restarted my collection, which is now as follows:

Aphaenogaster uinta, Camponotus vicinus, Camponotus modoc, Formica cf. aserva, Formica cf. micropthalma, Formica cf. manni, Formica subpolita, Formica cf. subaenescens, Lasius americanus, Manica invidia, Pogonomyrmex salinus, Pogonomyrmex sp. 1, Solenopsis validiuscula, & Solenopsis sp. 3 (new Sierra variant).