15 replies to this topic

[bassplayer247]

It is the first day of spring here in Denver, Colorado  and we just recently moved into a home built in 1961 (it is our first year here) 

 

The basement has had a lot of spiders and other bugs in it since we moved in.  Particularly the bathroom.  

 

Today, we found a stream of these ants coming out of a hot water radiator in the basement bathroom (8' underground)

 

I think that the ants are coming down the wall and out of the sheetrock where there is an opening around the hot water heater.  I don't see any emerging from the floor around the hot water line. 

 

I don't have any ants anywhere else around the home and we are in the middle of a remodel so I have several walls open to the studs with no signs of insect infestation.

 

These ants aren't normal. they are small and nearly translucent.  They are not the typical black ant that I normally come across in Denver.

 

The winged ones are about 5-8mm long (see pic) they are light brown with dark spots on their abdomen.

 

The non-winged ones are very very tiny (maybe .2-.4mm in length.

 

I am pretty sure that they are ants because of their crooked antenna, narrow waist, and smaller hind-wings. 

 

I cannot find any photos online that match them. Does anyone know what these are?  

 

I can't figure out where they are coming from, my best guess is that there is some honeycombing in my foundation walls- could the ants be entering the structure from underground?  I cannot find a place on the outside of the house (brick) that they could be coming in at. 

 

See pics!

 

1. Location (on a map) of collection: 

Denver, colorado
2. Date of collection: 

3-20-19
3. Habitat of collection: 

basement bathroom, coming out of radiant heater, climbing up wall in a single file line.
4. Length (from head to gaster):

<1mm  cannot measure
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: 

translucent brown with black spots on abdomen
6. Distinguishing characteristics: 

wings, long body for small size.
7. Distinguishing behavior:

n/a
8. Nest description: 

n/a in wall/coming out of foundation 

 

9. Nuptial flight time and date:

probably 3-20-19  We have not seen them sooner. 

[Images of ant]

gallery:

http://www.formicult...nt-closeup-web/

 

Pics:

http://www.formicult...eup-web/square/

 

 
[Images of nest]
 

n/a
[Images of habitat]

n/a

 

[GeorgeK]

Based on the looks of the queen, and the time of the year, I'm almost 100% sure it is prenolepis imparis.

[bassplayer247]

I think you are right about the species. Thank you very much for posting a reply. After more research I agree that they are prenolepis imparis. We had about 20 females and dozens of males swarm out from a heater in our basement for about 3 days then they stopped. It happened on the first day of spring. I guess the conditions were right for them to swarm. I can't figure out if they were coming out from the floor or from the wall behind the heater. I would have to start cutting into Drywall to find out. There were also some workers. The workers were surprisingly small, maybe 1/8" long or less. Thanks again.

[anttoant]

i might not be prenolepis imparis as they are 8 to 10mm long it definitly has the look though can you get a picture of the side profile and above

Edited by anttoant, March 22 2019 - 11:40 AM.

[YsTheAnt]

i might not be prenolepis imparis as they are 8 to 10mm long it definitly has the look though can you get a picture of the side profile and above

Definitely not that large. They are around 6-8mm at the very most, for queens. Workers are much smaller.

Edited by YsTheAnt, March 22 2019 - 2:16 PM.

[bassplayer247]

 

i might not be prenolepis imparis as they are 8 to 10mm long it definitly has the look though can you get a picture of the side profile and above

Definitely not that large. They are around 6-8mm at the very most, for queens. Workers are much smaller.

 

 

 

 

i might not be prenolepis imparis as they are 8 to 10mm long it definitly has the look though can you get a picture of the side profile and above

 

Definitely not that large. They are around 6-8mm at the very most, for queens. Workers are much smaller.

 

 

Well a year later and May 6th instead of March 20th (we've had a late spring in Denver this year) The colony has moved deeper under my basement and now they are coming out at my boiler from where the pipes penetrate the concrete slab.  

 

These are the same ants.  They are very docile and clumsy, the queens don't seem to know how to fly and the smaller ants are running around them in circles.  My wife actually thinks they are cute because they are so docile.  The workers look to be about 2mm or 3mm and the queens appear to be about 4-6mm long, Maybe longer. There are more queens than workers coming out, 20-30 I'd say. It's too bad because they are really just trying to reach the surface, they are coming up at the wrong places.

 

Photo attached of a queen next to my ruler. I would love to figure out what kind of ant this is.

 

I wish there was a way for me to move them out of my basement without killing them. They are the nicest ants we have ever encountered. Any tips?

Attached Images

• 
• 

[Ferox_Formicae]

Crematogaster sp. male.

[CheetoLord02]

The queens in question from the first post are Nylanderia sp., most likely N. terricola. Nylanderia fly in the spring, so the timing makes sense.

As for the 2nd one, it is a male, but absolutely not Crematogaster. Not even close. I'd be willing to bet it's Pheidole sp., but there's no way I could tell what exact species it is from just a male.

[jushi]

That looks like Prenolepis to me. Sometimes queens can be slightly larger or smaller so that could be the case. Both the winged female and the male look exactly like prenolepis.

[TennesseeAnts]

From the picture, the queen looks a lot like Brachymyrmex... Could be wrong.

[TennesseeAnts]

Crematogaster sp. male.

I would have to agree.

[gcsnelling]

My first impression was Crematogaster, but without clearer pictures it just a male Myrmicinae.

[PurdueEntomology]

My first impression was Crematogaster, but without clearer pictures it just a male Myrmicinae.

I would agree with this.

[PurdueEntomology]

It is the first day of spring here in Denver, Colorado  and we just recently moved into a home built in 1961 (it is our first year here) 

 

The basement has had a lot of spiders and other bugs in it since we moved in.  Particularly the bathroom.  

 

Today, we found a stream of these ants coming out of a hot water radiator in the basement bathroom (8' underground)

 

I think that the ants are coming down the wall and out of the sheetrock where there is an opening around the hot water heater.  I don't see any emerging from the floor around the hot water line. 

 

I don't have any ants anywhere else around the home and we are in the middle of a remodel so I have several walls open to the studs with no signs of insect infestation.

 

These ants aren't normal. they are small and nearly translucent.  They are not the typical black ant that I normally come across in Denver.

 

The winged ones are about 5-8mm long (see pic) they are light brown with dark spots on their abdomen.

 

The non-winged ones are very very tiny (maybe .2-.4mm in length.

 

I am pretty sure that they are ants because of their crooked antenna, narrow waist, and smaller hind-wings. 

 

I cannot find any photos online that match them. Does anyone know what these are?  

 

I can't figure out where they are coming from, my best guess is that there is some honeycombing in my foundation walls- could the ants be entering the structure from underground?  I cannot find a place on the outside of the house (brick) that they could be coming in at. 

 

See pics!

 

1. Location (on a map) of collection: 

Denver, colorado
2. Date of collection: 

3-20-19
3. Habitat of collection: 

basement bathroom, coming out of radiant heater, climbing up wall in a single file line.
4. Length (from head to gaster):

<1mm  cannot measure
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: 

translucent brown with black spots on abdomen
6. Distinguishing characteristics: 

wings, long body for small size.
7. Distinguishing behavior:

n/a
8. Nest description: 

n/a in wall/coming out of foundation 

 

9. Nuptial flight time and date:

probably 3-20-19  We have not seen them sooner. 

[Images of ant]

gallery:

http://www.formicult...nt-closeup-web/

 

Pics:

http://www.formicult...eup-web/square/

 

 
[Images of nest]
 

n/a
[Images of habitat]

n/a

Ant antennae are geniculate, just giving a term. Of your descriptions: narrow waste, that gets us down to non-Symphyta Hymenopterans and the smaller hind wings would get us in Hymenoptera generally. It would be the "crooked" geniculate antennae that would have narrowed it down to Formicidae along with the "narrow waste" having a petiole or node.  In last falls taxonomy class a male Camponotus was a stumper for some students.  

[CheetoLord02]

I can see the queens being Brachymyrmex sp., although it is far too early for them to be flying, which makes it very unlikely. Also the 2-3mm worker described is more true to Nylandera, as Brachymyrmex workers are tiny, like 1mm. The queens are absolutely not Prenolepis, though.

As for the male, it would appear to be over 1cm next to that ruler, and Crematogaster males are tiny, like 3mm, so it cannot be that. Not to mention the head is way too small for Crematogaster as well. The general shape looks like Pheidole, but the size is also very large, so I'd have to agree that it's just some random myrmecinae male. One that isn't Crematogaster.

Edit: nvm the male is probably Veromessor lobognathus

Edited by CheetoLord02, May 9 2020 - 7:22 PM.

[BugFinder]

Based on the looks of the queen, and the time of the year, I'm almost 100% sure it is prenolepis imparis.

 

I often see these in customers homes in Dec-Feb in California.