Maybe Spine-waisted Ant (Aphaenogaster)

6/30/12 PL DE
This might be a queen ant that has just torn off it's own wings. Totally awesome. Afterwards took notice to more wings laying about on rail. There's always 6/30/13! NOTE TO SELF: Don't bother looking for original picture. It's identical to this one, no more information to be gained from it.

example pic of (Aphaenogaster fulva) here:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/416872/bgimage

info:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/27663
a quote from bugguide before he deleted picture:
Maybe Aphaenogaster,
but can't really be sure for the image.
… James C. Trager, 21 December, 2012 - 9:46am

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the following info about queen ants in general excerpted from:
http://www.pestnet.com/ants/queen-ant/

what she looks like:
"The queen is usually recognizable by her size; she is much bigger than male and worker ants. Additionally, she is winged until she lays her eggs at which time either she or worker ants detach them. The four wings of the queen ant serve as a transportation mechanism as the queen seeks out potential mates. The coloration, markings, anatomy, and exact size depend on the species (...)"

"The range and habitat of a queen ant are varied according to species, but all queen ants will make their own nest once fertilization occurs"

" (...) the queen ant has been known to live as long as 20 years in the wild" (...) can "live longer than your pet dog"

"(...) once a colony loses its queen ant it will most likely die out by the end of the year unless a new queen takes over, which is common in some species. If swarms of ants have been seen flying about near your home, it is likely there is at least one colony of ants nearby."

"Identification of this motherly old insect requires identification of the workers in the colony, but you can count on her being much bigger than other ants in the colony."