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Strange ant colony with only alates

Started By LowQualityAnts , May 2 2023 4:23 PM

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7 replies to this topic

#1 Offline LowQualityAnts - Posted May 2 2023 - 4:23 PM

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Hi, today me and my friend came across a small colony in some pots we use for camping. The pots were in an non-heated and very old wood shack. The colony consisted entirety of alates and pupea and i could not find any workers alive or dead in the pots and surounding areas. Does anyone know what this species is and why there are no workers.

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#2 Offline bmb1bee - Posted May 2 2023 - 4:51 PM

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Did you catch any of those? The pictures are a little too blurry for ID. Maybe some closeups of the alates would help. They definitely aren't myrmecines or ponerines, for all I know.


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#3 Offline LowQualityAnts - Posted May 3 2023 - 3:50 AM

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Did you catch any of those? The pictures are a little too blurry for ID. Maybe some closeups of the alates would help. They definitely aren't myrmecines or ponerines, for all I know.


Unfortunately I had nothing to carry them with and I will not be at the location they were found for another week or two.

#4 Offline bmb1bee - Posted May 3 2023 - 6:06 AM

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I'm not certain, but if it really is an all-alate colony, then it's possible that this is a workerless parasitic species. No idea if I'm right, but just a hunch. Although, the pupa on the far right in picture #2 does look like a worker.


"Float like a butterfly sting like a bee, his eyes can't hit what the eyes can't see."
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Check out my shop and parasitic Lasius journal! Discord user is bmb1bee if you'd like to chat.

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#5 Offline AntsCali098 - Posted May 3 2023 - 9:16 AM

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Probably just a grouping of alates

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#6 Offline Aaron567 - Posted May 3 2023 - 11:08 AM

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Looks like Nylanderia, probably faisonensis.


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#7 Offline LowQualityAnts - Posted May 3 2023 - 4:02 PM

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I'm not certain, but if it really is an all-alate colony, then it's possible that this is a workerless parasitic species. No idea if I'm right, but just a hunch. Although, the pupa on the far right in picture #2 does look like a worker.

That's what I was thinking.

Probably just a grouping of alates

With the amount of brood and alates I found without a single worker I doubt this. If it matters I saw some alates feeding each other.

Looks like Nylanderia, probably faisonensis.

I only had my phone at the time and the ants were moving pretty fast so I couldn't get the best images. From what I remember the workers were all black, so probably not faisonensis, but Nyladeria is still definitely a possibility.

#8 Offline Manitobant - Posted May 3 2023 - 4:21 PM

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Yeah this also makes sense given the fact that nylanderia are currently flying
My journals:

Polyergus Mexicanus: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry175528
Lasius minutus: https://www.formicul...cs/#entry174811
Lasius latipes: https://www.formicul...gs/#entry206449
General acanthomyops journal: https://www.formicul...yops-with-eggs/
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