#prenolepis

Prenolepis imparis on Camellia x 'Winter's Joy' / American Winter Ant on 'Winter's Joy' Hybrid Camellia at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens at Duke University in Durham, NC

The other day I parked in a parking lot and as soon as I turned the car off, dozens and dozens of these little flying ants started landing on the hood and running up the windshield. They all appeared to be heading in the same direction, which was over the back of my car and on to who knows where. Perhaps they were energized by the sun and heat coming off of my car. It was fun to watch them, plus I managed to get a few ok shots through the thick glass. Thanks to Sloan Tomlinson and his myrmecofriend for identifying these as false honey ants, Prenolepis imparis, the earliest ants to fly in my neck of the woods. These are males in their “nuptual flight,” heading off to find females to mate with.