Found a huge ant - what is it?

[sunandshadow]

In my house today I found a huge black ant - it was over an inch long. (Thus, not a carpenter ant - I've seen those many times and they are barely half as big). It did not have wings, and looked a bit chubby/wide, not slender or wasp-like. Could not find any other ants or signs of them. I live in Pennsylvania. Anyone have a guess what this monster ant may have been, and whether I should be worried and search for signs of a nest?

 

[Maxell46]

I wouldn't worry about a single ant. Even 2,3,4,5 is nothing to be concerend with. There are times an ant colony produces " abnormal " sized ants. Freaks of nature so to speak.
This one you've found sounds like an oversized carpenter ant. A giant ...
Most likely was wandering around and got lost .
Yes...ants can lose their way as can most insects at times. They get lost and this is when we'll find them in places we've never seen them before. Occasional Invader is what we call them.
Sounds like this is what happened to your Goliath.

It's freaky to see because of their size but it's more common than people think.
I've had colonies where hundreds of giant " misfits " were produced and its a little crazy when a nest is found and they come running out all at once!
This is where a good shop vac is a life saver

20 years in pest control was interesting. The insect world is an amazing place and I've seen some very crazy things.

Any questions just ask .

 

[sunandshadow]

Huh, gigantism in ants is one thing I hadn't considered. Certainly it looked like a carpenter ant aside from the size. Thanks. I'll have to keep an eye out when I'm outside though, now my housemate is annoyed I found a cool bug and didn't show him before I got rid of it.

 

[Daolas]

Wingless wasp

Perhaps.

The photos here show black and red, but there are all black varieties also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutillidae

 

[minn]

Maxell46 - Question

Live in Minnesota. In the spring/summer I occasionally get what looks like a wasp on a diet - very little body but the length of a wasp. All one color - dark brown. It is a slow flier so it is easy to swat. Many times will find one dead on the floor. Looks harmless but not sure what it is. I have only seen them in my house, not outside. Thanks!

 

[mynameisben]

When the 20-foot aardvarks turn up in your yard, that's when I'd worry.

 

[dollface007]

I think maybe you found the queen of the ant colony. I don't have first hand knowledge, but I've heard that they can be monstrously huge.

 

[sunandshadow]

Perhaps.

The photos here show black and red, but there are all black varieties also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutillidae

I looked at those, they're pretty cool, but the one I found wasn't fuzzy. Really it looked just like the black carpenter ants I've seen around for years, except huge.

 

[sunandshadow]

I think maybe you found the queen of the ant colony. I don't have first hand knowledge, but I've heard that they can be monstrously huge.

It's possible, although the queens start out with wings, then lose them after they mate. They also are skinner than the one I saw, though again they might be full of eggs after mating. I haven't seen any winged ants around yet this year, so I thought it was too early in the year for a wandering queen.

 

[Paul_Chance]

Probably A Queen Carpenter Ant

A queen carpenter ant can grow to over an inch in length. Among carpenter ants, the queen herself scouts for a new colony location, so that is most likely what you saw. Another remote possibility, if you had fresh fruit from an imported source, you might have gotten a leaf cutter ant, but I doubt they would survive for long in Pennsylvania. They can be over an inch long, but they are a tropical ant.

 

[NightL]

Them!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2PLls02gOU

 

[Maxell46]

Sounds like a Mud Dauber wasp. These are solitary wasps ...meaning they don't have a colony and are alone ( male & female ). Im not sure what you have up in Minn...but from your description thats what it sounds like.

http://t0.***********/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXkZImEXvlNcIdCL7RD3aYVnWch5C1E4zNQ-u1TWqRTY7ZDx9a

Live in Minnesota. In the spring/summer I occasionally get what looks like a wasp on a diet - very little body but the length of a wasp. All one color - dark brown. It is a slow flier so it is easy to swat. Many times will find one dead on the floor. Looks harmless but not sure what it is. I have only seen them in my house, not outside. Thanks!

 

[minn]

Maxwell 46 - you are a genius!

That is exactly what it is - your attached photo identified it! Thanks!!!

 

[minn]

Sorry - Maxell!

Thanks again!

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I wouldn't worry about a single ant. Even 2,3,4,5 is nothing to be concerend with. There are times an ant colony produces " abnormal " sized ants. Freaks of nature so to speak.
This one you've found sounds like an oversized carpenter ant. A giant ...
Most likely was wandering around and got lost .
Yes...ants can lose their way as can most insects at times. They get lost and this is when we'll find them in places we've never seen them before. Occasional Invader is what we call them.
Sounds like this is what happened to your Goliath.

It's freaky to see because of their size but it's more common than people think.
I've had colonies where hundreds of giant " misfits " were produced and its a little crazy when a nest is found and they come running out all at once!
This is where a good shop vac is a life saver

20 years in pest control was interesting. The insect world is an amazing place and I've seen some very crazy things.

Any questions just ask .

That's one explanation. I tend to favor this one:

Click

 

[Rolando2]

Is this him?