#myrmecology

[fatcatatheart]

In the book, Tales From The Ant World by Edward Wilson, there's a warning at the very beginning-

-so who wants to emulate ants?

[toastannas]

my dad is driving and two ants having sex landed on my side of the car and i was like. right in front of my salad??

[mantiscorvus]

hey guys did you know being stung by a harvester ant fucking HURTS? like REALLY BAD???

I went with my mom’s classroom on a field trip to talk to the kids about bugs and wildlife, and get them more interested in it. Literally not even 10 minutes after trying to teach a kid that he shouldn’t kill the ants because they dont want to hurt them and they’re important for the ecosystem, i accidentally sat on one and it stung my calf. most painful sting of my entire life and i’ve had my entire leg covered in fire ants and swelled up for 18 hours. This was worse

so PSA, ants are cool and important, watch where you sit 🐜

[havesomewater]

weekly check up on da new goil, shes laid another round of eggs and up to about 10 now (from ~3) v industrious start compared to my first queen, tho granted she had the disadvantage of being in a plastic bottle for awhile. but yh, she’s so cute! you can see all the cotton shes been pulling. yay interior decorating

[croifox]

an ants can move sooooo much dirt :€ (ant face)

[croifox]

An ants is ten trillion tiny women who share an apartment and are all pretty good friends and get groceries for the whole house but one of them brings boys over

[aldernorth]

One minute of Tetramorium caespitum eating potato with ambience (birds, mowing, boyfriend watching lockpickinglawyer).

[imtired222]

Okay so, does anyone have any idea what species these ants are? I posted this on iNaturalist 6 months ago and nobody added to it, ik they're not the best photos ever, but I think they're decent enough to get an ID? I just thought these were cool <3

Now, lemme go through the species these could be maybe (Note, I am no ant expert. I'm just using the knowledge I do have to help someone more knowledgeable get an ID! Also I am trying to learn more about them, so tips on identifying ants are GREATLY appreciated.) Fire Ants and Thief Ants (genus Solenopsis): There are two fire ant species found in my area that could be the answer; the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta), and the less common Tropical Fire Ant (Solenopsis geminata). They are lighter in color than most S. invicta I've seen, but I'm sure there's a bit of color variation in the species. But they do match much better with S. geminata, so I feel like that species may be more likely.

Yellow Pyramid Ant (Dorymyrmex flavus): They live in the area and the coloration is similar. Although there are some differences, but that doesn't mean it's not a possibility.

High Noon Ant (Forelius pruinosus): They seem to have a wide variety of colors, including this sorta orange-ish color. So they might be a possible ID.

Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile): Just like the High Noon Ants they seem to have a decent amount of variety of coloration, so they're a possibility. Pale Gate-keeper Ant (Colobopsis etiolata): You get the shtick by now, it's a similar color and it lives in my area. Although it may just be too pale.

Nylanderia terricola Pharaoh Ant (Monomorium pharaoins)

And that should be it!! If you read all this, genuinely thank you <3