26 replies to this topic

[rptraut]

First, I must apologize for the lack of pictures as I have no camera or phone that can take those type of pictures.  I think I can describe the ant in question, well enough for identification.  I seem to have three different types of Lasius ants in my garden.  One, I'm sure, is Lasius niger.  It is a very small ant, black or dark brown, and there are many of them around.  I also have an ant that I believe is Lasius neoniger, it is larger than niger, but it is shinier and usually has a swollen gaster with sugar water if it is at all possible.  They seem to love sugar water more than most other ants.  Then I have a third ant that is a mystery to me.  They are about the same size as neoniger, (that is larger than niger), with a body shape that resembles niger, but not as bulky or shiny as neoniger.  The most obvious difference between the mystery ant and the others is their colour, very pale brown, not yellow like Lasius brevicornis, but very light brown or tan.  They are different from all the other ants in my garden in this regard.  If I can provide any other details, or you know the identity of this ant, please let me know.

 

I live in South-western Ontario, Canada - just north of London.  We have a rural property and I find these ants nesting in the ground in my garden.  They aren't as common as niger or neoniger, but I would really like to know what they are.  I have never seen them have a nuptial flight.

[Manitobant]

We will not be able to ID them without a picture, no matter how well you describe them.

[rptraut]

Let me see what I can do........

[rptraut]

I now have pictures!  Bought some lenses and borrowed my wife's phone.  Ant #1 is approximately 2.5 mm long.  The grid that #2 & #3 are photographed on is a 2.5 mm grid.  These are the same ants as I  described above.  Any help you can give me identifying these ants will be greatly appreciated.  I would like to positively identify them and all the other ants on my property so I can list them as ants in my area.  I think it will be quite impressive.

 

Ant #1 is quite common in my garden and property.  They will nest in anything hollow.  They will move pupae to warm areas and return them at night.  I don't know exactly when their nuptial flights are.

 

 

 

 

Ant #2 isn't very common in my garden but if there is a source of sugar they will be there.  If I put out a sugar feeder, these girls will totally monopolize it.  Their gasters are always full to bursting if they can manage it.

 

 

 

 

 

Ant #3 is rare around here in the country, but I remember them being very common in the city, especially under sidewalks.  There is only one colony of these ants in my garden, and I fed them sugar water and insects all summer long in a failed attempt to coax them into a formicarium.  Their chief distinguishing characteristic is their pale brown, almost tan colour.  Very pale brown, not yellow.

 

 

Thank you for all your help with this.

 

[OiledOlives]

1. Tapinoma sessile
2. Prenolepis imparis
3. Lasius subgenus

Sent from my IN2015 using Tapatalk

[FinWins]

Are you in Europe or North America?

[rptraut]

I live in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, just north of London, so North America. My property has clay loam soil, it is fairly well treed with mostly mature trees, but it does have open cultivated fields all around. I also have cultivated plots for vegetables.

[rptraut]

I would appreciate any other suggestions as to the genus of Ant #3, the Lasius ant. Thanks

[OiledOlives]

You will not get to species without better pictures. The subgenus ID I provided is the most specific identification possible.

Sent from my IN2015 using Tapatalk

[rptraut]

What body part(s) do you need better detail of to make a more specific ID?

[LowQualityAnts]

A picture with better lighting could help.

[rptraut]

I'll see what I can do.......

[AntsCali098]

What body part(s) do you need better detail of to make a more specific ID?

You may need microspic pics

[LowQualityAnts]

What body part(s) do you need better detail of to make a more specific ID?

You may need microspic pics

I looked on antmaps and canada has one of the highest diversities in lasius species.

[rptraut]

I may have to be happy just knowing that #3 is a Lasius ant as microscopic pictures aren't possible for me to provide.

Not only is there a variety of Lasius ants, there are at least 10 different types of ants on my property and nearby in sandier soils and wood lots. They include the three above plus Formica, Camponotus, Myrmica, Tetramorium, Temnothorax, Brachymyrmex, and at least two kinds of Citronella ants. This past summer, there were five different kinds of ants (small colonies) in a one square meter area of my garden. I've never seen so many different kinds of ants in one small area before.

I think, from looking at various ant maps, that ant distribution is poorly reported in Canada.

[LowQualityAnts]

I swear i live in the worst place to find ants. I only see three or four native species regularly. 4 or 5 years ago i had so many types of ants.

Edited by LowQualityAnts, October 29 2022 - 7:03 PM.

[rptraut]

I often complain about our cold winters (-25 degrees Celsius has been recorded here more than once) but I think it's probably the reason many southern invasive species don't exist here. I guess I should be thankful.

Please indulge me while I get a little off topic here, but I live in an intensively agricultural area. The increased use of insecticides lately has decimated the soil fauna, especially ants. Poisoned insects are deadly food for ants. Rural residential properties like mine must seem like an oasis in an agricultural desert to many forms of wildlife. Birds fly over hundreds of acres of crops to get to properties like mine. Maybe ants are the same way. Highly concentrated in the desireable places to live. Woodlots, towns and cities are probably much the same. We all need to consider how we can make our properties more "user friendly" for all forms of wildlife.

I don't want this Lasius question to go on too long, but if we're talking about microscopic differences, can someone just please make an educated guess - or give me a list of possibilities to choose from. I think I'll feel comfortable picking one knowing nobody can argue with me unless they're packing a microscope!

[ANTdrew]

You should certainly be thankful for cold winters if you love ant diversity. My area here is right on the border of where one can experience really cold winters. If southern species are going to take advantage of milder winters, they will be expanding their range into Virginia next. I’m already seeing Brachyponera chinensis expand and overtake areas in my yard that were all native species before.
I wrote a detailed journal about gardening specifically for ants. Sadly, a lot of my nice photos got deleted by mistake, but it should still be a decent read: https://www.formicul...l/?fromsearch=1
We should all aim to make our yards oases if we can!

[Ant-nig321]

Agreed!

[OiledOlives]

Neoniger/americanus/niger if you're in an area where they're invasive

Sent from my IN2015 using Tapatalk