6 replies to this topic

[Works4TheGood]

So something odd happened yesterday. I witnessed a colony releasing their drones at about 5:30 pm yesterday evening here in State College, PA. I immediately assume d it was P. imparis, but there was something odd. I saw many hundreds of drones scurrying around about to fly, but the only workers I saw looked like some sort citrinella ant. They were very bright orange. I was pretty sure that Lasius shouldn't be having nuptial flights this early. So, I'm not sure what type of ants I was really witnessing. Also, the temperature was dropping fast. Why were so many males out while it was getting so cold? And aren't the princesses supposed to follow the release of the drones? Can someone maybe shed some light on this situation?

Edited by Works4TheGood, February 21 2018 - 3:56 PM.

[Penguin]

I'm not sure about the type of ant but, a few days before Princesses exit, many species may release their males before a major flight, or the colony realized they couldn't support their males through the winter (queens are more "valuable" in the long run) and discharged them early. 

Edited by Penguin, February 21 2018 - 4:06 PM.

[FeedTheAnts]

I've seen many "citronella ant" nuptial flights in the past month. I was seeing queens even back in December.

Edited by TennesseeAnts, February 21 2018 - 4:44 PM.

[VoidElecent]

You're not alone. My brother and I found a Lasius claviger flight in Philadelphia, today; we caught several queens.

Edited by VoidElecent, February 21 2018 - 6:24 PM.

[T.C.]

Males generally exit first, but in some cases colonies will only produce one of the two. Just males or just queens.

Edited by T.C., February 21 2018 - 6:17 PM.

[Works4TheGood]

Based on the feedback above, I'm now guessing that the colony was some type of Lasius and that they never released their queens that day. It's way too cold and wet now. It was 34 degrees outside and pouring rain.

[NorthEdge]

Perhaps it was Lasius interjectus. They have a reputation for nesting in and near buildings. Although they naturally tend to fly around May and June, the colonies associated with buildings can end up flying in very early spring.