Myrmecologists often start new laboratory colonies from young mated queens. This Solenopsis molesta thief ant queen was collected after her midsummer mating flight and placed in a standard test tube nest.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
Myrmecologists often start new laboratory colonies from young mated queens. This Solenopsis molesta thief ant queen was collected after her midsummer mating flight and placed in a standard test tube nest.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
Myrmecologists often start new laboratory colonies from young mated queens. This Solenopsis molesta thief ant queen was collected after her midsummer mating flight and placed in a standard test tube nest.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
Myrmecologists often start new laboratory colonies from young mated queens. This Solenopsis molesta thief ant queen was collected after her midsummer mating flight and placed in a standard test tube nest.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
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all images and text © Alex Wild 2001-2013