2 replies to this topic

[MrUrrutia]

Hello guys, to the untrained eyes some of the ants will look the same, i mean you end up with the classic "small red ants" description label to what can be two different ants... Can behavior be used to ID some of the ants on the wild that will require a more close and detailed view with microscope or magnifying device in order to be sure of who is who?

[Jelly]

I would say it helps with an ID but you still need the physical pictures. Behavior observation is subjective based on who is watching, whereas pictures are more concrete.

[Works4TheGood]

Whenever I find a new queen that I haven't had before, I have it IDed here on formiculture.  From that point on, I'm pretty good at recognizing whether or not a new queen is a match to one I already have.  So from that perspective, your ability to ID an ant comes from experience.  Most of the folks on here that are good at IDing ants have acquired this skill from years of experience and simply studying ants in their vacinity.

 

I have a book that has a decision tree called "keys" to help ID ants in my region.  However, if you want to follow it to the T, you really need a microscope because it asks things like "How many segments are on the antennae?"  If you don't have a microscope, it can be easy to get stuck early in the tree.

 

It would be difficult to ID an ant strictly by it's behavior.  Some are pretty unique, but others aren't, and so it would be difficult in some cases.  Also, remember that a lot of the unique behaviors are found underground where they're difficult to observe in nature.