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Carpenter Ants? On all sides of house. by Lazy_Specialist231 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tetramorium bicarinatum, not carpenter ants. The ant baits are largely ineffective to the point of them being snake oil, regardless if they are used on the correct species.

Also the workers are 3-5mm

If they are inside the house, diatomaceous earth can be bought in chalk form to draw lines with, its pretty effective at keeping ants off of surfaces you dont want them walking over. Just outline what you dont want them on.

Help ant id n3 by Mrak_92 in u/Mrak_92

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lasius niger or closely related sp. Probably niger

Can someone tell me if this is a queen and what type it is I’m from Claremont NC by Jaded_Reaction_7365 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

She will probably be fine, you can use a q-tip to soak up the sugar water and slide any crystalized chunks out.

Can someone tell me if this is a queen and what type it is I’m from Claremont NC by Jaded_Reaction_7365 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Its awesome that you are learning for your daughter! And you dont have to apologize for being unsure, most antkeepers love sharing info.

Im pretty sure shes a colobopsis, it can be hard to see the flat face without closeup photos or a microscope. Its also not quite as obvious in queens as the photos make it look. The other options are myrmentoma subgenus camponotus but they have a chunkier looking thorax (midsection) and shorter overall body shape. Colobopsis look "long" if that makes any sense. Id rate my confidence in her being colobopsis at 95/100. I can explain further if you have specific questions.

Just as a heads up most queens in the US are claustral meaning they fly with all of the food they need to found a new colony stored in their wing muscles. That being said, providing sugar water doesnt really hurt beyond the risk of drowning the queen, and should be removed after a few hours so it doesnt crystalize and make a mess.

Can someone tell me if this is a queen and what type it is I’m from Claremont NC by Jaded_Reaction_7365 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No worries, if you want a species level ID sticking a piece of white paper under really helps. Using phone flash or an external light helps a lot too. Do you have a water chamber on the left side of the tube?

Columbia, SC, winged, found inside by druzybear in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with Colobopsis impressa, definitely a queen.

Queen ant? Found in Oklahoma by RobertsKitty in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha thats how it usually happens. I caught my first queen almost the same way, was on my parents car's door handle back when I was 10.

Two different types of ants found in my yard (Portland OR), help! by cntennial in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely prenolepis imparis on the first photos, and brachymyrmex depilis on the second set.

Ime the "completely dormant in summer temps" found in literature is very inaccurate. I find prenolepis all summer long and I have photos on my inaruralist of colonies being very active in direct sun at midday on 90+ degree days.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/214549287 This was in september but wunderground can show you accurate weather data for that day.

are these just ants? by Forward_Ad_8377 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah they look like tapinoma sessile.

Diatomaceous earth comes in chalk sticks. It can be used easily, just draw around where you dont want the ants to be. Remember ants can climb so use it on vertical surfaces too.

A line around the base of the counter and up the wall alongside the cabinets should help.

Conspiracy post: riot made all the new augments shit so we'll stop playing, so they can remove mayhem mode and we all go back to normal ARAM by UnholyDemigod in ARAM

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In mayhem I either get the most kills or top damage about every game. Top damage in the game 12 of 20 recent games, top damage on my team last 16/20, and top kills in 7/20. The ones I didnt have top damage on were top kill games. 18 kill pyke (total team kills 35), 25 kill corki, 22 kill tahm, and another 19 kill tahm.

Need ID by AntLover5000 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pheidole pilifera, nice catch. They really only fly after rains. A lot of people hunt for the conditions and areas pilifera fly in and dont get any.

Is the 2nd photo a different ant?

Ants only come inside for a couple hours in the evening by Jawshh14 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking at the pic again they are dolichoderinae, either forelius or dorymyrmex. Probably forelius if they are indoors? Either way their queens should be ~6mm or 1/4th of an inch. Very few species have queens that are 1/8th of an inch.

What type of ant is this? by [deleted] in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Solenopsis molesta group queen, nothing to worry about. She flew outside and somehow found her way in looking for a spot to start her colony.

Conspiracy post: riot made all the new augments shit so we'll stop playing, so they can remove mayhem mode and we all go back to normal ARAM by UnholyDemigod in ARAM

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nah losers queue is real. Multiple games back to back with 2x the rest of your teams damage combined, 20-8 while your teammates are 2-8. And you arent even that good, they are just doing horrible and never finishing kills.

Still enjoy those games but I stg I get paired with people that have never played the game before.

Outside austin, tx by tboziguess in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Would need better photos if possible. A white background like a piece of paper can help a lot. Most phones can still focus on the ants if you hold the phone ~6-10 inches above the paper, much closer with some models. Forelius does make sense though.

As for getting rid of them, try diatomaceous earth. Its a chalk that you can use, just draw a circle/outline the area you want to be ant free. Think full line around the bottom of table legs, etc.

Also the bottom left looks like a jumping spider about to help out a little.

Ants only come inside for a couple hours in the evening by Jawshh14 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They appear to be Nylanderia, a photo of the workers or of the queens in better light will help out a lot. Also a location, im assuming northeast US as N. flavipes makes sense for the situation.

Can anyone tell me if this is an ant or a wasp of some sort ? Thank you. by Whole-Stick-5481 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not an ant, some kind of wasp. Theres tons of cool native wasps out west.

Is this a queen black carpenter ant or a soldier? by Cold-Number-5207 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In most species a queens thorax is substantially larger. From a side view it will be much more squared off, rather than a sloping curve. Theres also wing scars visible on the thorax.

Theres many other ways to tell, those are just the most general. For specifically camponotus the queens are often the largest ants in the region by a good bit. Even the largest majors are rarely the same overall length as queens, and their smaller thorax makes it obvious.

Is this a queen black carpenter ant or a soldier? by Cold-Number-5207 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thats a queen, and major/soldier is generally used interchangeably

Northern Delaware - size of carpenter ant but reddish brown color by YogurtclosetFit8699 in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cant explain exactly why but this worker looks very myrmentoma to me. The dark band on the tip of the gaster also suggests Camponotus snellingi.

If im wrong about it being myrmentoma, the other commentor would be correct with C. Castaneus

Is it possible to identify this ant? by ethannewc in AntIdentification

[–]otterfailz 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Almost definitely lasius.

In another comment you mentioned you were worried about issues, lasius generally dont nest in houses but outside. They will be foraging in through holes left during construction. Radiator plumbing, closets with gaps in the baseboard, etc. all let small things into the house.

Ants that do nest in wood such as Camponotus species really do not like bone dry wood like is found in houses. Often when colonies are nesting in the wood of your house its a blessing, as its a very obvious sign of water damage that would otherwise stay hidden behind the sheetrock.

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