6 x Queens Found (UK) Please help!

[Jimmydave937911]

Hi all, I am very new to ant keeping so please excuse any ‘newbie’ talk!
I’ll try and make this brief, so! Ive only started having a big interest in ants and ant keeping in the last couple of months since I’ve been landscaping the garden. I’ve come across several ant nests full of quite small red ants (name unknown and no picture but they are less than 5mm). I have also seen a couple of nests of what I think are Myrmica Rubra (Pic 1). I’ve tried and tried to find a queen despite digging down real deep but found nothing! I had all but given up and one day I lifted up some turf (No more than about 10cm deep) with a few red ants scattered round and there walking around was a Lasius Niger (please check, pics 2,3 and 4) Queen?! Now to cut an already long story short I have since found another 5 Lasius Niger queens all within a 2 x 2m patch of grass just under the turf??
My questions are:
1) Are my guesses at the species correct, especially the queens?
2) Why would Lasius Niger queens be found so near other species of ants?
3) As it is not nuptial flight time here in the UK why would a queen be so close to the surface and without any other workers around her?
Very confused but as I said also very new to ants so may be missing something here?
Please find pictures below and thanks so much in advance for any replies, they’d be greatly appreciated!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FXi6CSS9hAWAjFLWzGhtiVi8j4VjHaQ-/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1L9TrowcfX19k7ao4Yl-uFRdCIrEwt31e/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N1HFRjbFNHytCWBidV0y87JnYw2PDgsv/view?usp=drivesdk

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QZKz_UeSWw-1HJohR5QEzKKOSclPCaQg/view?usp=drivesdk

Thanks

Rob

[Turret675A]

Hey Rob,
Considering that you're in the UK the species most commonly found is rubra most likely so it's safe to assume that it's rubra, although I'm not sure if there are more myrmica species in the UK. I live in Canada BC which is completely different landscape and ecosystem wise, however myrmica rubra are invasive where i am and I have kept them before, they seem to like to nest under objects with dirt under them out loose logs and stuff. I honestly don't know why you are finding Lasius queens at the time where you are unless they're queens from a previous flight last year or a small flight that could have happened. I recently caught a lasius queen a week or two ago when they usually fly in June/July so it really is up to luck and the mood of the ants. Ants can sometimes be real dumb as once i found a camponotus Queen sitting right next to a lasius nest so it happens more than you'd think. And yes you're guesses seem correct but you should get someone who lives in the same area to confirm the ant species as i can't really help you a ton considering that i live extremely far away haha.
Hope this helps somewhat.