I believe this is, according to Australia standards for weights and measures, a metric shit tonne of ants.

Maybe two shit tonnes.

#Ants #Antstodon

Oh no, they're back! Or, more likely, never really left. The brood is now one shelf further up the linen press.

Clearly more drastic action is needed in order to make this cupboard unappealing to them. At a minimum I'm going to have to take out all the towels and linen for a while. Bare shelves in an open cupboard will, hopefully, be too exposed to be considered a suitable nesting site.

Urban legend has it that wiping surfaces with a little diluted vinegar acts as at least a temporary house ant repellent, I may give that a go too.

#Ants #Antstodon

The laundry ant colony has at least given me something interesting to point my cheapo USB microscope at.

Lots of workers looking after the larvae, some callows, and a few alates.

The bright light from the USB microscope clearly agitated them, which suggests to me I might be able to persuade them to move the brood out of the linen press by opening the doors, taking out the linen, and thereby denying them the darkness that they need to feel that the brood is safe. I'm sure they'd only move as far as the nearest dark nook or cranny, but that would still be a move in the right direction.

#Ants #Antstodon

@futurebird The board game designers have your back.

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/416079/march-of-the-ants-evolved-edition

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/446699/ants

(I have not played either of these games ... yet.)

#BoardGames #ants #antstodon

Anyway here's the ant nuptial flights I found. The workers are tiny, like, 1mm or something. I think they are the same species? They resemble citronella ants, but much smaller and not as yellow. *Lasius*? *Brachymyrmex*?

I did also see another kind of alate so multiple species are likely having mating flights right now.

#antstodon #insects #ants #Hymenoptera #Formicidae