Lasius neoniger

{{Speciesbox

|image = Lasius neoniger casent0103980 profile 1.jpg

|image_caption = Lasius neoniger worker

|taxon = Lasius neoniger

|parent=Lasius (subgenus)

|authority = Emery, 1893

}}

Lasius neoniger, also known as the turfgrass ant, Labour day ant, cornfield ant or nuisance ant, is a species of ant in the genus Lasius. Found in North America, the species is common in the eastern United States and Canada, though they can be found all over the continent.{{cite web|title=Species: Lasius neoniger - AntWeb|url=https://www.antweb.org/description.do?name=neoniger&genus=lasius&rank=species&project=allantwebants|website=www.antweb.org|accessdate=2 November 2017|language=en}} They are usually light brown in color, with a slightly darker head.

Biology

Lasius neoniger are relatively small ants who prefer to nest in open habitats, including lawns and sidewalks. Colonies of these ants are monogynous and are unwilling to accept other queens or merge with other colonies of the same species.{{cite book|last1=Bustos|first1=Mikey|title=Ultimate Ant Keeping Handbook|date=2012|publisher=AntsCanada|pages=33, 58|edition=1st}} They are one of the many species of ants who tend aphids, who provide the ants with a regular source of sugar and occasionally protein.{{cite web|title=Lasius neoniger|url=http://www.schoolofants.org/species/1175|website=School of Ants|publisher=yourwildlife.org|accessdate=2 November 2017|language=en}}

Colonies have a nuptial flight around the beginning of September, near Labour Day. The new queens will dig a claustral chamber and hibernate for the winter before starting their new colony the following spring.

Ecological impact

Due to their preference for open habitats, Lasius neoniger are one of the first species of ants to move into disturbed areas. The building of their nests triples soil respiration and increases biodiversity in the area by encouraging other insects to move in. This in turn has a trickle down effect as the new insects attract other animals and plants.

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{AntCat|438832|Lasius neoniger|2015|accessdate=30 January 2015}}

{{cite book|last1=Watschke|first1=Thomas L. |last2=Dernoeden|first2=Peter H. |last3=Shetlar|first3=David J. |title=Managing Turfgrass Pests, Second Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BX0Ue1FoORsC&pg=PA452|date=2013|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4665-5507-5|page=452}}

{{cite journal |last=Wilson |first=E. O. |date=1955 |title=A monographic revision of the ant genus Lasius |journal=Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology |pages=1–201 |volume=113|issue=1}}

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External links

{{Commons category-inline|Lasius neoniger|Lasius neoniger}}
[http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Lasius_neoniger Antwiki - Lasius neoniger]

neoniger

Category:Hymenoptera of North America

Category:Insects described in 1893

Category:Insects of the United States