This parasitic Aphaenogaster tennesseensis queen has just penetrated a nest of her host species, Aphaenogaster rudis. She is highly attractive to her victims, who unknowingly tend her and begin raising her eggs as their own. The original host queen killed, this colony will gradually turn into a full nest of A. tennesseensis. Manhattan, Kansas, USA

Aphaenogaster tennesseensissocial parasitesqueen antparasitismwinnow antsmyrmicinae