(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Queen horse ant, Camponotus herculeanum, Torsby, Värmland (Sweden). Most queens (and kings) fly on the same day and mate high up in the air with other kings from other nests (less related). I have not seen the kings, however. The queens fly down and seem attracted to white objects such as my white funnels, or white puddle traps, have caught nearly a hundred in one day. I have seen two bumble bee ascilid "robber flies" kill and feed on queen horse ants. They seem to catch them as they descend to earth. When the queen ant lands she begins to pull her wings off (de-alates) so she can walk around more easily on the ground while searching for a suitable nest. This is a risky period since many ants will try to catch her and bring her back to their nests. The horse ants make nests in the wood of tree stumps. They forage at night.

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Images © 2000 by John A. Byers, Chemical Ecology.