Post B4DDZSlncHUN5bOPnE by fehlfarbe@dresden.network
(DIR) More posts by fehlfarbe@dresden.network
(DIR) Post #B4DBvb23NXdNB0QDFQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-03-13T10:26:17Z
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Thinking a lot about the Lasius genus of ants. They are incredibly successful. They are small, can't sting, can't bite (they will try, but you can't feel it at all, they are too small) they are very non-de-script looking little ants. There are Lasius ants in your town right now. Yes, even if you are in a research station in antarctica.
(DIR) Post #B4DCIdXeDLOncWBbkW by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-03-13T10:30:27Z
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Lasius emarginatus has raised some concerns in NYC since this ant is native to Europe, but has shown up here and might displace other native Lasius species such as Lasius neoniger. Lasius emarginatus isn't as interested in human food waste as other Lasius ants. They tend to focus on aphid farming in human parks. They are good at climbing vertical surfaces and thrive in rooftop gardens and human managed parks and sidewalks with street trees. They make very organized trails to their 'phids.
(DIR) Post #B4DCYUPTvvwrvqvSzo by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-03-13T10:33:19Z
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Why do we get so angry at species that thrive, that absolutely find their moment in the same environments we make for ourselves? Are we upset that these ants have done a better job enjoying NYC than some people?It is similar with fire ants. They drive people crazy, but they also need people. Fire ants glory in suburban landscape, and the edges of farms. They love cut grass, disturbed soil and sunny lawns. We tried to wipe the fire ants off of the earth and failed.
(DIR) Post #B4DCkp7AmOqvcbF9AO by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-03-13T10:35:33Z
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We only damaged ourselves and the more vulnerable insect species when we tried to eliminate fire ants with poison. In "Consider Her Ways" the leaf-cutter ants dislike human environments. They love the jungle. But when they meet the fire ant queen she goes on with excitement and enthusiasm about how much she loves Humans and how wonderful it is to live near them. The leaf-cutters are skeptical.I don't think anyone will try to "wipe out" Lasius emarginatus. They don't sting...
(DIR) Post #B4DD2v6bFF4DPjbX2u by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-03-13T10:38:49Z
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Oh... to be clear: Lasius is a genus of many ant species. Some are local and important parts of your local ecosystem. A few species of Lasius can be invasive, depending on the context. It's not like the whole genus is invasive. Far from it. They are critical.They eat small insects, including roaches (especially their eggs) they will scavenge human food waste, they will raise aphids. They are adaptable and each species has a different colony organization. Yet they are just boring little ants.
(DIR) Post #B4DDJXHB5xXKQoTWXA by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-03-13T10:41:49Z
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Frankly, I'm not THAT worried about Lasius emarginatus. It's an ant that is well adapted for Paris and London... why would we be surprised to find them in NYC. It's the same environment. They have not ruined other cities, I think they will find their place in the urban ecosystem. This isn't like the fire ant founding event a century ago...
(DIR) Post #B4DDZSlncHUN5bOPnE by fehlfarbe@dresden.network
2026-03-13T10:44:39Z
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@futurebird for many years, we had a large L. emarginatus colony at my parents' house. They were very active, especially during swarming season. Sometimes there were hundreds of queens in the room 😅Luckily, there weren't many in my room, because I was a little worried about what would happen if they discovered my Camponotus colony in their territory 🙈
(DIR) Post #B4DDlq1ayurWghgMOu by jgrg@mstdn.science
2026-03-13T10:46:51Z
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@futurebird We've not sequenced emarginatus, but we have done:Lasius brunneusLasius flavusLasius fuliginosusLasius platythoraxand Lasius niger is underway.
(DIR) Post #B4DDxPyZej4JNFn5NI by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-03-13T10:49:02Z
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There is a Lasius emarginatus colony right by the front door of my school that I've been watching for about 4 years. They enjoy the garden of one of the houses next-door to our school. Every winter I wonder if they are gone forever, but every spring they emerge again from the same tiny hole. They like to have a single entrance to their colony just like Lasius neoniger. I wonder how they found their colonies? When do they fly? This should be a fun summer!
(DIR) Post #B4DE96enJF1qvr71hQ by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-03-13T10:51:09Z
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@jgrg I would love to see a comparison of niger and neoniger. I'm not convinced they really are separate species. "Is the niger or neoniger?""well where did you find her?""in Ohio?""then it's neoniger"I understand that range is a part of species... but I wonder when they split...(Also everyone claims niger is black and neoniger is dark brown... but come on.)
(DIR) Post #B4DESQo6cEJ8vegNXM by jgrg@mstdn.science
2026-03-13T10:54:33Z
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@futurebird Yes, I don't think there is a neoniger genome yet.
(DIR) Post #B4DHlmFFQzYYmWIJqi by saltywizard@beige.party
2026-03-13T11:31:42Z
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@futurebird by 'boring little ants' i assume you mean that they like to dig tunnels in dirt.as do i.
(DIR) Post #B4DLoHZoJZFkLoMXdw by Frantasaur@mastodon.ie
2026-03-13T12:16:58Z
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@futurebird fire ants got an honorable mention as a plot point in Termination Shock, the latest novel by Neal Stephenson (a mass migration of people leaving their homes in the Houston area during a heatwave because their air conditioners were wrecked by fire ants). Dunno how plausible this is.
(DIR) Post #B4F8xJ3fGWRoSpDds8 by Landa@graz.social
2026-03-14T09:02:21Z
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@futurebird a bunch of subtenants/neighbours who autonomously keep the population of roaches at bay and clean up after themselves (unlike my spiders) Sounds like something we could live with. Maybe a PR campaign similar to the one for bees could work?Also someone should work out how to best cohabitate with them.
(DIR) Post #B4F9a4II5ky3y3Xkn2 by dancingtreefrog@mastodon.social
2026-03-14T09:09:22Z
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@futurebirdI LIKE ants - and other things! - that eat cockroaches! More things should eat cockroaches!Can you tell I don't like cockroaches? 😉
(DIR) Post #B4FCBhdiy5PocRdrxg by futurebird@sauropods.win
2026-03-14T09:38:37Z
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@dancingtreefrog It's hard to like the pest species. We call any animal a pest that is able to enjoy human environments more than humans. It's not fair. I do wish I could get more people excited about learning about how pest arthropods manage to thrive since the better you know the pest the easier it is to ruin their fun.