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nortino: Lasius sp queen walking the streets alone (8. Mai 2008 21:11)

OK, I found this queen today (8th May) just walking on the pavement near my house - the weird thing is I haven't seen ANY alates at all this year, not one, so I wasn't expecting to find a mated queen. She looks a lot like my Lasius niger queens, but last year the L. niger mating flights here were in August, and there were thousands of them flying around and on the pavenment, but today I haven't seen any other queens, just this one. Do other Lasius species mate earlier in the year? Anybody think it's weird to find just one mated queen like this, without seeing any flying ants?

Anyway, here she is, somebody please tell me she isn't another L. niger!

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/2148/picture033croppedib2.jpg

http://img292.imageshack.us/img292/4268/picture039croppedjy3.jpg

http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/2149/picture047croppedwy1.jpg

Sorry, forgot to mention she was found in Bournemouth, south coast of the UK.

miszt: (8. Mai 2008 21:22)

maybe her colony died and she left, or there may have been a local flight last night you didnt notice, it has been very warm recently, and I believe the humidity is going up allot on the coast ready for rain in the next few days, so maybe she just got confused, although it seems she has been mated, so she cant be the only queen to have got confused :)

JimmyVe: (8. Mai 2008 21:32)

My guess, a small local flight.
And i think it is a Lasius niger :)

nortino: (8. Mai 2008 22:45)

lol, yeah I have to admit she does look like L. niger . . . I was kind of holding out for L. fuliginosus, but not to worry, I'll look after her anyway and see if she has interesting-looking babies . . .

tail__: (8. Mai 2008 22:57)

Could be also Lasius brunneus, they usually mate earlier than niger, mostly in June but sometimes also in May. A week ago I saw the royal cocoons in a destroyed nest of L. brunneus in a cut tree, so alates can be ready now. Lasius brunneus queen is also black like L. niger. But of course it can be also very early niger :)