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Photo#194506
Ant Fight - Camponotus novaeboracensis - female

Ant Fight - Camponotus novaeboracensis - Female
Richmond Hill, York Region, Ontario, Canada
June 20, 2008
Walked out onto the patio on a sunny day to see a bunch of Camponotus workers slowly scurrying around. Not the usual sight, but I initially ignored them. A second glance later, they were suddenly massed together. A closer look revealed a seven-on-one struggle between a large worker and several individuals of the same species. The worker in the center is clamped onto the petiole of the out-numbered ant, whose large abdomen is visible top-right of center.
I thought there was only one colony nesting in the patio, but perhaps this is evidence that there may be more than one.

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Ant Fight - Camponotus novaeboracensis - female Ant Fight - Camponotus novaeboracensis - female Ant Fight - Camponotus novaeboracensis - female Ant Fight - Camponotus novaeboracensis - female

Thanks!
Thanks for the ID and comments! Moved from Carpenter Ants.

Camponotus novaeboracensis
Nice posting, Stephen.

Either two colonies there, or one colony taking on a stranger who wandered in from farther away.

Interesting series
Nicely shot and narrated. Thanks for posting, Stephen.

 
Thanks, Ron :-)
Perhaps a little dramatic, I found after reading my narration a second time. But it vividly portrays what I observed during the few short minutes of the struggle.

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