Hi from Brisbane,
Any help appreciated, and apologies for pic quality - juggling between a bad camera phone and a too-cheap USB microscope!
1. Location (on a map) of collection: Bridgeman Downs, Brisbane QLD Australia. House backs on to dense native bushland with a creek.
2. Date of collection: 1 Oct 2023
3. Habitat of collection: Inside house, on hallway floor
4. Length (from head to gaster): 11-12mm
5. Color, hue, pattern and texture: Black dull colour body, light brown legs
6. Distinguishing characteristics: light brown gaster compared to darker body, see photos
7. Distinguishing behavior: My 5-year-old says it was “walking at normal ant speed”
8. Nest description: -
9. Nuptial flight time and date: -
My line of enquiry started as 'is this a carpenter ant and therefore should I fear for my house' but having struggled to match that, now I'm curious what this little bugger is!
By coincidence, we've also seen a lot of strobe ants on the move outside which we haven't seen before - some strange weather patterns happening in Brisbane with shift to El Nino, maybe it's bringing out some randoms. We've also had the odd large sugar ant exploring around our house in the past, but haven't seen those guys in a while.
Thanks in advance,
Ben
