Our insect for the week of August 24, 2026 is another ant. This time, we focus on Lasius claviger [HYMENOPTERA: Formicidae]. This species was described by the German entomologist Julius Roger in 1862. This native species is often found nesting under stones and in rotting wood in central Illinois.This species exhibits temporary social parasitism. Queens invade the nest of a related species (such as Lasius alienus). She kills the queen and relies on the “host” workers to raise her initial brood. Workers are rather general predators and also imbibe honeydew secretions of root feeding Hemiptera.

When one examines a nest of this species, the first impression is often a strong odor of lemon (oil of citronella). The compound eyes of adults are reduced as they spend most of their lives underground. One may also notice them when the reproductives (males and females) come to the surface for their nuptial flights.

The specimen in these photographs was collected in Tazewell County, Illinois. Photos were taken with a Wild dissecting microscope and stacked with Zerene Stacker software to generate these images. The featured image shows the worker in lateral view. Images below show the head in frontal view and the body in dorsal view.