14 replies to this topic

[SoySauce]

Hi there,

I happen to be on a trail right now, Puente Hills in the City of Industry, Los Angeles and happen to find this ant. Can someone please tell me if it is a queen ant or not? I found it by itself. Thanks in advance!


I'd say it measures 3-4mm in length.

[Kevin]

I believe that is a worker, but I can't be 100% sure, but pretty darn sure.

[SoySauce]

Ok thanks Kevin. I thought it was a bit too small to be a queen but it's larger than the others I've seen around.

[Kevin]

It's definitely not too small to be a queen in general, some queens are 2mm long. However, queens generally have a bigger throax and noticeable wing scars.

Edited by Kevin, February 14 2017 - 12:23 PM.

[SoySauce]

Gotcha. Many thanks!

[SoySauce]

How about this one??! I found it a freshly stated nest mound and it still has its wings. The few workers were probably 50% larger. This one measures around 2-3mm.



You can see it relative in size to the other one I just caught

[Miles]

Looks like workers and males of Prenolepis cf imparis, the winter ant or false honeypot ant. Winged (alate) and wingless (dealate) queens will be around in the coming days when the colonies have their nuptial flights. Prenolepis queens can vary significantly in coloration, ranging from a gorgeous amber to a shiny dark brown. Lots of information and pictures can be found online. Good luck!

Edited by Miles, February 14 2017 - 12:54 PM.

[T.C.]

Hard to tell by the pictures. The first I think may be a male? The one in the second picture looks like a queen. However like I said difficult to tell by the pictures.

[SoySauce]

Oh ok. Sorry about the bad pictures. I'll try to take better ones at home. The winged ant was in new dirt mound with maybe 8-10 workers. And the workers were like 50% larger as I mentioned before. Thanks again.

[SoySauce]

I actually thought it was a gnat when I first saw it because it was so small.

[T.C.]

Oh ok. Sorry about the bad pictures. I'll try to take better ones at home. The winged ant was in new dirt mound with maybe 8-10 workers. And the workers were like 50% larger as I mentioned before. Thanks again.

Then that is definetly a drone. Queens are larger than workers, and the males are smaller.

Edited by T.C., February 14 2017 - 1:02 PM.

[SoySauce]

Bummer ok. It's my son who is the ant enthusiast. I try to enjoy it with him. Thanks for all your help.

[Kevin]

You are most likely not going to find a queen right now, there have only been a few reported flights in the US as I know so far this year. When there is a nuptial flight, it will be obvious. Look into the sky, cover the sun with your hand and you will see thousands of little males and queens flying around. That is when you want to capture the queen. Don't capture a queen with wings at a nest with all the other queens, because she is very likely not mated and hasn't gotten into the air yet. Queens you should look for will be wandering around with or without wings, or in a fresh founding chamber.

[dspdrew]

I agree with Miles. Also, this species should be flying any time now around here.

Species             year  Month  Day  Time     Continent      Country  State  City	       Weather
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prenolepis imparis  2014  2      14   1:00 PM  North America  USA      CA     Trabuco Canyon   warm
Prenolepis imparis  2015  2      17   2:00 PM  North America  USA      CA     West Sacramento  65F
Prenolepis imparis  2015  2      20   2:00 PM  North America  USA      CA     West Sacramento  65F

[Alabama Anter]

You are most likely not going to find a queen right now, there have only been a few reported flights in the US as I know so far this year. When there is a nuptial flight, it will be obvious. Look into the sky, cover the sun with your hand and you will see thousands of little males and queens flying around. That is when you want to capture the queen. Don't capture a queen with wings at a nest with all the other queens, because she is very likely not mated and hasn't gotten into the air yet. Queens you should look for will be wandering around with or without wings, or in a fresh founding chamber.

I agree. Unless you live in the Gulf States. We like bending rules