| These ants are relatively
large, ranging from one-fourth to three-sixteenth inches in length. They
are pale yellow to yellow-red and have a single node on their petiole.
Large yellow ants are sometimes called "citronella ants" because they
have lemony smell when crushed. The nests may be in soil under cover, in
rotting wood or foundation walls. The nests are usually underground, and
the ants only come to the surface at swarming time. These ants swarm in
early spring. When a colony is under a heated slab, winter swarms may
occur. They may push soil out of basement cracks giving the homeowner a
"termite scare". Yellow ants prefer sweets and tend aphids for honeydew.
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