Asian Weaver Ant Colony

Description:

Formicidae; Formicinae; Oecophyllini; Oecophylla smaragdina Fabricius, 1775. My wife spotted two Weaver Ant nests in a tree, this afternoon and came to ask me if I wanted to take some pictures for Project Noah. When I replied that I already have lots of ant's nest pictures, she said "Yes, but not on a Mahogany!" and, of course, she was right. I have seen Weaver Ants nests on Citrus microcarpa, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and Annona muricata, but never on Mahogany until now. Wikipedia says "The ant colony may have several nests in one tree, or the nests may be spread over several adjacent trees....Each colony has a single queen, in one of these nests, and her progeny are carried to other nests".

Habitat:

This ant Weaver Ant Colony was spotted in our backyard on a sapling Mahogany Tree (Swietenia mahogani). The sapling is about one year old. I know its approximate age because my wife, who knows a lot about the local,plants, noticed it when it was only about three feet tall in May of last year. It grew from a seed which germinated on the spot where it fell from a mature tree. This species of Mahogany is native to the West Indies and was introduced to the Philippines for cultivation for lumber. Our oldest Mahoganies are now about 40 years old and are in our backyard for their beauty (not for commercial logging). Identification of the trees is from - http://www.stuartxchange.org/Mahogany...

Notes:

The first four pictures show one nest and the last two show the other nest. I just couldn't get both nests into one picture.