New Ant Keeper need help identifying queens in IN,USA

[NKantsalberta]

Sad news about the other queens, but that is normal luck even with experienced keepers.

Awesome on finding more however! the weather here has been quite unfavorable.

The "Sp" is just a way to describe an unidentified species until it can be clarified, in case you weren't aware. The one you think may be subbarbatus could be a major as the thorax seems quite narrow for a queen. (I could be wrong)

Try feeding the small 5 mm queen a very small (tip of a toothpick worth) drop of honey. You could also try to introduce one of the workers you saw around, in case they were in fact hers. If the one workers is accepted by the queen, chances are you could capture a few more, before its too late and have a semi - established colony.

[TDickman]

This has been one of the few days our weather has been any good as well. Its been raining and under 50°F this past week other than the day the first queen was found. It's been a weird "spring". Just speculating but I'm thinking these could have been part of that flight, the same as the first queen. The barn where i found these is only about 20 or 30 yards from the kiddy pool where I fished all the males from.

I wasn't aware that's what the SP stood for. It might be but I'm really thinking it could be a queen. I didn't see any other ants besides the queens until I got closer to the end where I found the 5mm one. And it realllllyyy kinda looked like there were eggs on the side of her chamber. Hopefully we will find out soon!!

That is actually how I killed one of the first smaller queens. I had put to large of a dab of honey and she drowned. Whoops. It's too late to grab any of the potential workers though. :/ I will try that for next time.

[TDickman]

I found what I think is another Camponotus Subbarbatus today! She had two eggs with her and a potential worker. I got both eggs in the test tube but accidentally burst one trying to get them deeper in.
Another Camponotus Subbarbatus? https://imgur.com/gallery/bIPVS8K

Also all my queens have started laying now!! Heres some pics if you wanna see them.
Update on all my queens https://imgur.com/gallery/2kUahZY

P.S. Got my replacement screen in on my phone so the picture quality it alittle better!

[NKantsalberta]

I found what I think is another Camponotus Subbarbatus today! She had two eggs with her and a potential worker. I got both eggs in the test tube but accidentally burst one trying to get them deeper in.
Another Camponotus Subbarbatus? https://imgur.com/gallery/bIPVS8K

Also all my queens have started laying now!! Heres some pics if you wanna see them.
Update on all my queens https://imgur.com/gallery/2kUahZY

P.S. Got my replacement screen in on my phone so the picture quality it alittle better!

Awesome find, I wish I had those here! I love their coloration. They will most likely consume the burst egg, so I wouldn't feel too bad. I have caused this a few times when transferring new colonies out of moldy/dry test tubes.

Nice little collection you have started here My only find this year so far is a Formica Aserva Queen with some sister workers, and a small 4 queen Myrmica colony in some bark on the wood pile. Camponotus should be flying here any day now though.

I would upload pics but I don't use a compatible image hosting site. I do however have a fledgling facebook page for my colonies; https://www.facebook.com/NKantsalberta, should you be interested. I am no-where near a professional photographer... yet

P.S. I also need a new phone as I have ruined the camera on my current one

[Hawkeye]

Hey quick question, wouldn't 5mm be unusually small for a Camponotus subbarbatus queen? I don't want to rain on your parade of course, but aren't they usually about 1 cm in length?

[NKantsalberta]

Hey quick question, wouldn't 5mm be unusually small for a Camponotus subbarbatus queen? I don't want to rain on your parade of course, but aren't they usually about 1 cm in length?

I thought it looked a little small as well. I know nothing about that species however

[Hawkeye]

https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Camponotus_subbarbatus

[Hawkeye]

That species has a red torso and head. Yours looks black in the pics?

[Hawkeye]

The larger queens definitely look like Camponotus pennsylvanicus to me, the smaller ones I am unsure about