So what is this little guy?

[19FarmHand78]

Was cutting on some big ash trees in my fence rows this weekend and found some of these little guys with some black ants as well. (broken image removed)

The limb I found them in was at the base and had been partially broken off years ago.

 

[mark cline]

I see the big carpenter ants in a lot of the dead standing wood that i cut. The pieces with the ants get tossed, I don't want them near my log home.The winged creature, I'm thinking , maybe like the queen if there is such a thing in the ant world.

 

[19FarmHand78]

There where a few of them, just showed it to my father in law he said it was a winged ant... never knew there was such a critter.

 

[EncoreInMass]

It's a swarmer...it's how the ants spread far and wide without walking...It flies off and settles in a nice wood nook...and starts a fresh colony in the spring. It's usually a spring/early summer find..
http://www.orkin.com/ants/carpenter-ant/life-cycle-carpenter-ant/