6 replies to this topic

[hendicott]

Collected in Overland Park, KS on 9/17/17 at 6:15pm. There was a storm the night before, it sprinkled on and off most of the day, then the sun came out about 4pm, there was no wind. There was a swarm on a pavement stone in my back yard of about a dozen queens and another 2 dozen around in the grass working their way up the blades of grass and flying off into the sun set. along with a colony of much smaller ants, some of those also had wings. I collected 2 of each at the swarm. The smaller of the 2 are 3 to 4mm and all black. The rest of the colony was also black and around the same size but fractionally smaller. I watched them fly off to the west under the sun set and that there must have been a hundred of them between me and about 3 (house) yards out. After a while some started coming back. I followed one coming in for a landing and she had a partner ^^ (one of the littler kind like at the take off point). But I only saw them for a second while they disappeared in the deep lawn.

 

I when to sit on my deck, with container ready, to look at the others I had caught at the swarm and I saw a queen on the underside of the table. Since I could see though the table it was an easy collection but this one had NO WINGS! She has taken them off already. Now it seems most likely that these were all elates coming out of the swarm of the same colony. It seems like all the girls left first while the guys waited around left after that. Some flew out and some flew straight up. I could see where those went. I only saw one come back but while looking on the ground when I last saw this pair, I saw others.

 

She is 8.5mm, smooth, light brown, with a gold sheen covering all her parts. During movement, a powdery gold flashes or changes depending on where the light is.

 

Thanks,

Hudson

 

 

[T.C.]

Deleted the double post.

 

Its Lasius sp. However to narrow it down we need better pictures. Something along the lines of Lasius neoniger/alienus if I had to guess.

[hendicott]

thanks,

 

Heres a couple more pic. sorry best i can do with an iPhone.

 

 

[Connectimyrmex]

Lasius neoniger/alienus.

Edited by Connectimyrmex, September 18 2017 - 3:12 PM.

[VoidElecent]

There's really no way to tell what species group your queen belongs to without intense magnification; she could be in the niger or flavus group. Once the workers eclose, if they are yellowish in coloration they are more likely to be in the flavus group, and if they're brown, your queen is probably a member of the niger group.

 

It is unlikely you will find Lasius alienus at this time in Kansas; they typically fly far before most new world Lasius. If your queen is L. alienus, the workers will be dark grey to black in coloration.

[Batspiderfish]

Lasius alienus doesn't fly this late (in North America), so this would be Lasius neoniger or Lasius pallitarsis. Probably the former.

[hendicott]

Thanks for the best guesses everyone and the info to research some sp. I have better magnification but it's the best I can do with the camera I have. She looks most like lasius neoniger based on looking at pictures of neoniger, alienus and pallitasis. The males and workers were black. We'll see what happens in the spring with workers and maybe I'll get a better camera too.