How to Identify a Queen Ant?

[terrellgriffin]

The queen ant is one of, if not the most, important ant in a colony. Without the queen, the colony will die out, as the queen ant is the one who is responsible for laying the eggs. They can be very long-lived. A carpenter and queen, for example, can live to be 25 years old. People who keep ant colonies need to be able to identify the queen, so that they can be sure that their ant colony will prosper. Conversely, people who want to get rid of an ant colony need to be able to identify the queen in order to eliminate her.
Many people think that queen ants are always the largest ants in the colony, and in some cases, this is correct. For example, Leaf Cutter queen ants tower above the worker ants in their colonies. However, there are some exceptions. Mystrium Mysticum ants, found in Madagascar, have queens that are actually smaller, and a different color, than the worker ants.
The features of a queen ant are almost exactly the same as the other ants of her species. For example, queen ants all have exoskeletons, and a body divided into three sections: the head, thorax and abdomen, as well as jointed antennae. The easiest way to identify a queen ant is to look for an ant with a larger thorax, or middle section, than the rest of the ants. The queen ant will have a muscular, more complicated thorax, in part because the queen ant is born with wings, which she uses to leave the colony to mate.
The sole purpose of a queen ant is for reproduction. She is kept deep in the tunnels of the colony, with the one purpose of laying eggs. She does, however, have one advantage: The ant queen usually lives twice as long as her worker counterparts.

[SolenopsisKeeper]

The queen ant is one of, if not the most, important ant in a colony. Without the queen, the colony will die out, as the queen ant is the one who is responsible for laying the eggs. They can be very long-lived. A carpenter and queen, for example, can live to be 25 years old. People who keep ant colonies need to be able to identify the queen, so that they can be sure that their ant colony will prosper. Conversely, people who want to get rid of an ant colony need to be able to identify the queen in order to eliminate her.
Many people think that queen ants are always the largest ants in the colony, and in some cases, this is correct. For example, Leaf Cutter queen ants tower above the worker ants in their colonies. However, there are some exceptions. Mystrium ***** ants, found in Madagascar, have queens that are actually smaller, and a different color, than the worker ants.
The features of a queen ant are almost exactly the same as the other ants of her species. For example, queen ants all have exoskeletons, and a body divided into three sections: the head, thorax and abdomen, as well as jointed antennae. The easiest way to identify a queen ant is to look for an ant with a larger thorax, or middle section, than the rest of the ants. The queen ant will have a muscular, more complicated thorax, in part because the queen ant is born with wings, which she uses to leave the colony to mate.
The sole purpose of a queen ant is for reproduction. She is kept deep in the tunnels of the colony, with the one purpose of laying eggs. She does, however, have one advantage: The ant queen usually lives twice as long as her worker counterparts.

Corrections:
She usually lives much longer than workers, from 1-3 years o longer depending on species.
Also, it is deep Andy on weather how deep a queen is. Usually when it is warmer, the queens are fairly close to the surface, and when it is colder, they are usually deeper.

[SYUTEO]

Only a few species of Mystrium have queens that are smaller than the workers and they are ergatoid which means they are born without wings, there can be a lot of them in a single nest but only one is allowed to lay eggs. Most other Mystrium species have queens that do have wings and are usually slightly bigger than the workers.

[SolenopsisKeeper]

Only a few species of Mystrium have queens that are smaller than the workers and they are ergatoid which means they are born without wings, there can be a lot of them in a single nest but only one is allowed to lay eggs. Most other Mystrium species have queens that do have wings and are usually slightly bigger than the workers.

You could count Eciton queens, but that isn’t a well kept spieces of ant I would say. Also, there are list of queens who are the same size as the worker, just take a look at most Odontomachus queens. Many people miss these queens, Becuase of the similarity to the workers.

[SYUTEO]

Only a few species of Mystrium have queens that are smaller than the workers and they are ergatoid which means they are born without wings, there can be a lot of them in a single nest but only one is allowed to lay eggs. Most other Mystrium species have queens that do have wings and are usually slightly bigger than the workers.

You could count Eciton queens, but that isn’t a well kept spieces of ant I would say. Also, there are list of queens who are the same size as the worker, just take a look at most Odontomachus queens. Many people miss these queens, Becuase of the similarity to the workers.

I got used to IDing Odontomachus queens and I can tell them apart from workers almost every time. I currently have a colony of O. simillimus with 5 workers which is also the furthest I got keeping this species.

And in some species it's even harder to tell the queens from the workers for example Myrmecia simillima, their queens are what called 'brachypterous' which means they have short, deformed wings and they cannot fly which in turn causes their wing muscles to shrink and their thorax will be smaller. They are already hard to tell from workers but they also have ergatoid queens which are even harder to tell because they look almost identical to workers.

[SolenopsisKeeper]

Only a few species of Mystrium have queens that are smaller than the workers and they are ergatoid which means they are born without wings, there can be a lot of them in a single nest but only one is allowed to lay eggs. Most other Mystrium species have queens that do have wings and are usually slightly bigger than the workers.

You could count Eciton queens, but that isn’t a well kept spieces of ant I would say. Also, there are list of queens who are the same size as the worker, just take a look at most Odontomachus queens. Many people miss these queens, Becuase of the similarity to the workers.

I got used to IDing Odontomachus queens and I can tell them apart from workers almost every time. I currently have a colony of O. simillimus with 5 workers which is also the furthest I got keeping this species.

And in some species it's even harder to tell the queens from the workers for example Myrmecia simillima, their queens are what called 'brachypterous' which means they have short, deformed wings and they cannot fly which in turn causes their wing muscles to shrink and their thorax will be smaller. They are already hard to tell from workers but they also have ergatoid queens which are even harder to tell because they look almost identical to workers.

Yo want to see the key for determining my species? It is a pain… and queens, I can’t just see an ant and I defiantly know from a few feet up. I usually need to kneel down(unless it has wings). I feel bad for people who have gamergte colonies Becuase they don’t know if the gamergate will die.
https://mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu/Researchtaxapages/Formicidaepages/Ponerinaekeys/Odontomachus.key.htm
It talks about hairs on the gaster sand all that.

[AntsAntsAnts]

You could count Eciton queens, but that isn’t a well kept spieces of ant I would say. Also, there are list of queens who are the same size as the worker, just take a look at most Odontomachus queens. Many people miss these queens, Becuase of the similarity to the workers.

I got used to IDing Odontomachus queens and I can tell them apart from workers almost every time. I currently have a colony of O. simillimus with 5 workers which is also the furthest I got keeping this species.

And in some species it's even harder to tell the queens from the workers for example Myrmecia simillima, their queens are what called 'brachypterous' which means they have short, deformed wings and they cannot fly which in turn causes their wing muscles to shrink and their thorax will be smaller. They are already hard to tell from workers but they also have ergatoid queens which are even harder to tell because they look almost identical to workers.

Yo want to see the key for determining my species? It is a pain… and queens, I can’t just see an ant and I defiantly know from a few feet up. I usually need to kneel down(unless it has wings). I feel bad for people who have gamergte colonies Becuase they don’t know if the gamergate will die.
https://mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu/Researchtaxapages/Formicidaepages/Ponerinaekeys/Odontomachus.key.htm
It talks about hairs on the gaster sand all that.

i can spot pavement ant queens just by their size but otherwise, I will pick them up like ofr example green headed ants and polyrahchis ants who annoyingly have similar sized workers and queens. All I look at is their wing scars and then i test tube them!

[SolenopsisKeeper]

I got used to IDing Odontomachus queens and I can tell them apart from workers almost every time. I currently have a colony of O. simillimus with 5 workers which is also the furthest I got keeping this species.

And in some species it's even harder to tell the queens from the workers for example Myrmecia simillima, their queens are what called 'brachypterous' which means they have short, deformed wings and they cannot fly which in turn causes their wing muscles to shrink and their thorax will be smaller. They are already hard to tell from workers but they also have ergatoid queens which are even harder to tell because they look almost identical to workers.

Yo want to see the key for determining my species? It is a pain… and queens, I can’t just see an ant and I defiantly know from a few feet up. I usually need to kneel down(unless it has wings). I feel bad for people who have gamergte colonies Becuase they don’t know if the gamergate will die.
https://mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu/Researchtaxapages/Formicidaepages/Ponerinaekeys/Odontomachus.key.htm
It talks about hairs on the gaster sand all that.

i can spot pavement ant queens just by their size but otherwise, I will pick them up like ofr example green headed ants and polyrahchis ants who annoyingly have similar sized workers and queens. All I look at is their wing scars and then i test tube them!

That’s what I do for unidentified queens and Odontomachus.

[AntsLuxembourg]

Only a few species of Mystrium have queens that are smaller than the workers and they are ergatoid which means they are born without wings, there can be a lot of them in a single nest but only one is allowed to lay eggs. Most other Mystrium species have queens that do have wings and are usually slightly bigger than the workers.

I've never heard of those Mystrium ants. Could you provide some links to science articles or some reliable sources for this?
I don't say it's impossible but I just have never heard much about it and it definitely is a thing.

Also I decided to move the topic to the General Ant Talk.

[AntsAntsAnts]

Yo want to see the key for determining my species? It is a pain… and queens, I can’t just see an ant and I defiantly know from a few feet up. I usually need to kneel down(unless it has wings). I feel bad for people who have gamergte colonies Becuase they don’t know if the gamergate will die.
https://mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu/Researchtaxapages/Formicidaepages/Ponerinaekeys/Odontomachus.key.htm
It talks about hairs on the gaster sand all that.

i can spot pavement ant queens just by their size but otherwise, I will pick them up like ofr example green headed ants and polyrahchis ants who annoyingly have similar sized workers and queens. All I look at is their wing scars and then i test tube them!

That’s what I do for unidentified queens and Odontomachus.

yes, it's the most accurate way of knowing