The body and legs are black, the surface is not shiny.
Nests are small mounds in the soil in open areas. Workers forage on trees and shrubs close to and far from the nest.
Colony. Colonies of this species typically have a single queen. Habits. Workers will swarm out of a disturbed nest, but they generally are not aggressive. They are common in spring as soon as flowers emerge and aphids become active. Workers are common
on spring flowers, especially peonies. They often are misidentified as carpenter ants, but they generally are smaller than carpenter ants.