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Internal view of a C.vagus's nest, clean and tidy.In this case an oliv tree 60/70 years old.
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Tuscany, ItalyOne worker minor of Camponotus vagus can easily chase some wasps (Polistes gallicus) just shooting a drop of formic acid on their mouth or their neck.If hit, the wasp will escape to get a safe place in order to clean itself.The honey and larvae of Polistes Gallicus are very appreciate by ants in general, Camponotus Vagus will fight hard for this capture.
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L'Albere, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
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C.vagus loves wasps' honey!
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Queen and drone of C.Vagus ready to take off
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A worker major with the abdomen swollen of honeydew is sharing her "catch" with some worker minor.Tuscany, Italy
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Sommacampagna, Veneto, Italy
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Queens of Camponotus vagus transferring in a new nest of the same colony.Tuscany, Italy
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L'Albere, Languedoc-Roussillon, France
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Albanian Alps. Maja e Thate
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Wing of a queenTuscany, Italy
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Tipical proof of presence of "Camponotus vagus" carpenter ant.
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Tipical behaviour of C.vagus, to carry an exaust explorer toward the nest
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C.vagus moving eggs to a bigger nest
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Thanks to the team and users of
www.diptera.info for this first identification.Order=diptera Family=phoridae Genus=(Microselia OR Pseudacteon), hard to go further because I haven't got photos with good resolution.This is a plastic cap filled with water and sugar.I used this system to concentrate many workers of C.vagus so to attract the small fly that you can see in the middle of the cap.The critter is a Diptera of the Phoridae family, also known as "ant-decapitating fly".It is attracted by large number of busy workers and after following one for a while it perches on the abdomen (it normally prefers the lower side) and then lays its egg(s).The reaction of the worker is to go mad and try to remove it with the legs or the jaws. The closest workers get normally alarmed by this behaviour.I've noticed that the colonies heavily affected by this fly are affected by the CBPV "Chronic bee paralysis virus" as well, but I don't know if there are relations since the CBPV is known to be carried by mites (anyway I've never spotted mites on a C.vagus).When a colony is infected there are many dead workers around the nest, they lay in a unusual posture and if touched they easily lose the head.Tuscany, Italy