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Lasius fuliginosus - collage of individuals, Heeswijk-Dinther, Netherlands Collage of individuals of this observation:<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64462/lasius_fuliginosus_-_exposed_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Lasius fuliginosus - exposed, Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/64462_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=Mz2OHky02IXQTzwLkz%2Fm8%2BL%2B40w%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="Lasius fuliginosus - exposed, Heesch, Netherlands Presumed species, I will check it with an expert. Note that I know very little about ants, so I may not use the right jargon in this series, so do correct me where I go wrong. <br /> <br /> I normally don&#039;t intervene with nature much on my hikes, meaning I don&#039;t do a lot of digging or turning over things. Yet on this day I saw a very rotten trunk stuck to the forest floor, so I tipped it over with my shoe, to see if perhaps some woodlice or beetles were below it. To my shock (and yes I felt guilty about it) I exposed a large ant colony and partly destroyed their carefully crafted tunnel system. So let us use my brutality to document about the species what we can.<br /> <br /> Ants seemingly don&#039;t waste a lot of time complaining about this external event, because the very second they were exposed, hundreds were frantically moving, each knowing exactly what to do next: secure the offspring. In this opening scene you get an overview, yet it doesn&#039;t show everything. Faintly in the back you see white larvae but there&#039;s more rooms to show.<br /> <br /> Closeups of the immediate response:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64465/jet_black_ants_-_exposed_-_closeup_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64466/jet_black_ants_-_exposed_-_closeup_ii_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> There&#039;s more to the nest, a side view shows a nursery holding the larvae:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64468/jet_black_ants_-_nursery_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> Taking a step back, we see multiple of such rooms:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64469/jet_black_ants_-_nurseries_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> And even a pupa room:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64470/jet_black_ants_-_treasury_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> Hundreds of ants, if not thousands. Multiple rooms with larvae, at least one visible room with pupas. Cleaned up in minutes, not a single ant, larvae or pupa in sight, as if nothing happened:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64471/jet_black_ants_-_colony_rescued_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> Some individuals:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64488/camponotus_vagus.html Europe,Heeswijk-Dinther,Jet black ant,Lasius fuliginosus,Netherlands,World" /></a></figure> Jet black ant,Lasius fuliginosus Click/tap to enlarge Promoted

Lasius fuliginosus - collage of individuals, Heeswijk-Dinther, Netherlands

Collage of individuals of this observation:

Lasius fuliginosus - exposed, Heesch, Netherlands Presumed species, I will check it with an expert. Note that I know very little about ants, so I may not use the right jargon in this series, so do correct me where I go wrong. <br /> <br /> I normally don't intervene with nature much on my hikes, meaning I don't do a lot of digging or turning over things. Yet on this day I saw a very rotten trunk stuck to the forest floor, so I tipped it over with my shoe, to see if perhaps some woodlice or beetles were below it. To my shock (and yes I felt guilty about it) I exposed a large ant colony and partly destroyed their carefully crafted tunnel system. So let us use my brutality to document about the species what we can.<br /> <br /> Ants seemingly don't waste a lot of time complaining about this external event, because the very second they were exposed, hundreds were frantically moving, each knowing exactly what to do next: secure the offspring. In this opening scene you get an overview, yet it doesn't show everything. Faintly in the back you see white larvae but there's more rooms to show.<br /> <br /> Closeups of the immediate response:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64465/jet_black_ants_-_exposed_-_closeup_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64466/jet_black_ants_-_exposed_-_closeup_ii_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> There's more to the nest, a side view shows a nursery holding the larvae:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64468/jet_black_ants_-_nursery_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> Taking a step back, we see multiple of such rooms:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64469/jet_black_ants_-_nurseries_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> And even a pupa room:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64470/jet_black_ants_-_treasury_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> Hundreds of ants, if not thousands. Multiple rooms with larvae, at least one visible room with pupas. Cleaned up in minutes, not a single ant, larvae or pupa in sight, as if nothing happened:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64471/jet_black_ants_-_colony_rescued_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> Some individuals:<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/64488/camponotus_vagus.html Europe,Heeswijk-Dinther,Jet black ant,Lasius fuliginosus,Netherlands,World

    comments (9)

  1. View Flown Kimmerling's profile
    Flown Kimmerling
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    Wow! I love this collage version! Great job! Posted 7 years ago
    1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
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      Thanks, Lisa. I created it only for the purpose in aiding identification. Posted 7 years ago
  3. View Christine Young's profile
    Christine Young
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    Awesome. Posted 7 years ago
  4. View Stuart's profile
    Stuart
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    So many ants!! :) Posted 7 years ago
    1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
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      I'm sure you're used to that :)
      And remarkably, not a single one is sharp lol.       Posted 7 years ago
      1. View Stuart's profile
        Stuart
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        You're not wrong, the Messor Barbarus colony is around 1200 strong now and the pheidole Pallidula are approximately 1800 I think, with a compliment of approximately 60 drones. Posted 7 years ago
        1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
          Ferdy Christant
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          What are drones, Stuart? I don't know ant jargon, sorry :) Posted 7 years ago
          1. View Stuart's profile
            Stuart
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            No need to be sorry :) drones are males, in a colony run by women, the males only purpose in life is to be born, assist around the nest, wait for the nuptial flight, spread their DNA and then die. That's the life of the male ant... Lol. Posted 7 years ago
            1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
              Ferdy Christant
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              Oh my. I hear it can even be worse than that: one ant species being the slave of another ant species. Posted 7 years ago

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The Jet black ant

Lasius fuliginosus is a species of ant in the subfamily Formicinae. Workers have a black shiny colour and a length of about 4–6 mm, females are larger and small males reach a length of 4.5–5 mm. The head is heart-shaped.

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Similar species: Wasps, Bees, Sawflies And Ants
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
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By Ferdy Christant

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Uploaded Aug 7, 2018.
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