Moisture Ant

5626  Hi these just showed up today on the side of my house. Thousands. So thick i can sweep them with a broom. They look like ants but have wings. Can you figure out what they are. Thanks. David. Toronto. 

This is an ant, possibly in the genus Lasius (- see http://tinyurl.com/zwxcakh for an example (this one formerly was placed in the genus Acanthomyops, now considered a subgenus of Lasius). Many Lasius species, known collectively as “moisture ants” in the United States, make their nests in and around moist rotting wood as well as under rocks, but are not considered structural pests. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.