Asian Weaver Ant Queen

Description:

This Asian Weaver Ant Queen was spotted on the same Citrus Tree as the Locust Swarm in https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/20........ This species of ant is known to build nests in a variety of trees, but in our immediate surrounding area, it seems to have a preference for Citrus spp. These ants live in a nests and a group of nests is known as a colony. When a Queen like this is spotted, in the open, it probably signifies that she is looking for a place to start a new colony. This Citrus tree would probably have been ideal for her purpose, but I don't know if the presence of so many voracious locusts would cause her to look elsewhere. In normal circumstances, when these ants build a nest, the tree benefits from their presence because the ants will kill and eat many insect herbivores, but the overwhelming number of locusts in this tree might create such an imbalance that the Queen will look for a less challenging place. It might be significant that she has not yet cast off her wings.

Habitat:

The Asian Weaver Ant Queen was spotted in our backyard on a young Citrus sp.

Notes:

If it is possible, I will try to follow-up on the progress of this queen as she tries to establish a new colony.