neville parkfor @futurebird, some kind of _Camponotus_ alates are out
myrmepropagandistThat is a male carpenter ant— probably Pennsylvanicus?
@futurebird thanks! I wondered if it was a male as the few females I've seen are, like, UNREALISTICALLY big. I see plenty of Campos out and about but I've never seen a teeming mating flight in full swing as with other ants, yet.
(There is a peony plant in the yard. The _Prenolepis imparis_ and _Camponotus_ are both feeding on the flower buds but they politely stick to different flowers, the _Prenolepis_ to the south side and the _Camponotus_ to the north.)
Yeah the Pennsylvanicus queens are big enough that they kind of stomp around— and you wonder how they get all that gaster in the air even with their long wings.