Hello Tom,

That looks like a wood or field ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Formini ).

Yard or field ants belong to a group of ants known as formini ants. Other members of this group include carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.), wood ants (Formica spp.) and mound ants (Formica spp.) These are 'outdoor' ants and are not normally found in homes. Yard ants live in galleries in the soil but they do not construct the large mounds that their cousins do, nor do they chew up wood like their other cousins do. They are just your basic, garden variety ants that do no harm whatsoever. In fact, these ants are beneficial in that they feed on many of the insect pests that live in our yards and gardens. They can be difficult to control in yards due to their subterranean habits and large colony size.

For those who want to get rid these then dusting the nest openings and area immediately around the nest with an insecticidal dust like Sevin Garden Dust can be effective if repeated enough times. The dust is picked up by the ants and spread throughout the colony. The dust will cake up and become ineffective if rained on, so dusting requires multiple treatments over several weeks to have any lasting effect on the ants. 

Mature ant colonies produce alates aka swarmers, sometime numbering in the 1000s, that are the winged reproductive members of the colony. Alates of different species of ant occur about the same time each year and generally only last for a week or two. Most alates die within a few days, only a very small percentage are successful in establishing a new colony.

Be sure to read and follow all instructions and safety precautions found on the label before

Regards,
Howard

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