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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and other Stinging Wasps » Ants, Stinging Wasps, and Hornets (Vespoidea) » Ants (Formicidae) » Formicinae » Lasius » Subgenus Acanthomyops (Lasius Subgenus Acanthomyops)
Photo#232521
Ant ID Request - Lasius
Copyright © 2008 Thomas of Baltimore City

Ant ID Request - Lasius
Herring Run Park, Baltimore City County, Maryland, USA
October 9, 2008
Are the orange ones the same species as the winged ones?

Images of this individual: tag all
Ant ID Request - Lasius Ant ID Request - Lasius Ant ID Request - Lasius
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Contributed by Thomas of Baltimore City on 10 October, 2008 - 4:19pm
Last updated 18 October, 2008 - 8:14am

Moved
Moved from Citronella Ants, Lemon Ants.
… John R. Maxwell, 18 October, 2008 - 8:15am login or register to post comments

Possibly citronella ants
Similar to some I found:


More info here:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/35553

And yes, they really do smell like citronella.
… apgarm, 10 October, 2008 - 4:30pm login or register to post comments

 
Your
image is much clearer! I didn't venture too close as I wasn't sure if I would get stung, or not.
… Thomas of Baltimore City, 10 October, 2008 - 4:31pm login or register to post comments

 
Lasius species
The other possibility is Lasius umbratus which doesn't produce citronella but look very similar.

Neither of them sting. Both are social parasites to Lasius niger group (L. alienus and L. neoniger for example). Both are underground aphid farmers and almost never come up on the surface. This is the only time of year you'll really see either of them out of the nest. I don't think most pest control companies even bother with them.

The only time these harmless ants cause a problem is when they're nesting to close to a home and hold a nuptial flight inside! This sometimes happens out of season in winter or spring too because of house hold heating making the colony produce a second generation of alates.
… MrILoveTheAnts, 10 October, 2008 - 10:09pm login or register to post comments

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