ANTSTORE World of Ants

[Skippy]

This is Lasius ,what I found today (in churchyard) (today 9.april 2007) ,but I don ´t know ,what is it. It could not be Lasius flavus ,because flavus is more gray color and this ant is in really all yellow. This queen is 9 mm long. What is this?

[Skippy]

Queen

[Skippy]

Queen

[Skippy]

And I forgot ... the thorax is not yellow ,but so yellow/red

[JimmyVe]

I can't help you with that skippy.

[Skippy]

But she is nice ,I am curious on workers

[JimmyVe]

She is in deed very nice. My guess is that the workers are going to look like here, only smaller.

[Skippy]

It will be so much more stupid on look,if the workers will look like queen (when is this Lasius)

[acerola]

I just found something similar last week. My first guess was also L. flavus. If we would know the swarming time of different Lasius sp., we would end up less potential species.

[JimmyVe]

I'm pretty sure it is not a Lasius flavus queen, but i can not say witch one it is. Swarm time for Lasius flavus is in mid summer.

[Skippy]

I also think ,Lasius flavus have swarm time in summer ,in Bratislava is it ordinary somethimes between 10. July - 25. July

[acerola]

In a hungarian forum I get another possible identification for _my_ ant: Prenolepis nitens which is a kind of honey ant. It is swarming in early spring. The idea came from an ant expert working in a university. I now searching the net (and at home I will search my books) for Prenolepis. So far it sounds good.
What is your opinion?

[willi461]

Yes honey ants r way cool.Wish you could buy them.

[JimmyVe]

I don't now if they are honey ants, but i heard they are really difficult to keep.

[acerola]

All signs shows it is Prenolepis nitens. Prenolepsis has 6 teeth in its mandible (Lasius has more than 6) it also has a heart shaped forward pointed petiole. And the early swarming time is also matching (I found mine 1th of April).
I also has some image from mine. Skippy, you can check the similarities.