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Ants
- Latin Name: Crematogaster sp.
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Acrobat Ant
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Several species are native to North America, and they can be found throughout the United States.
Biology:
The common name is derived from the habit of the workers in which they arch their abdomen over their thorax when they are agitated. Nests may be found in almost any circumstance. Outdoors they commonly will be within wooden materials such as stumps, hollow trees, or firewood, as well as under yard debris or other materials on the soil. Indoors they may nest in voids in walls or ceilings, in old termite or carpenter ant nests in wood, or within soft materials such as foam insulation, which they hollow out themselves. Moisture will be an added draw for Acrobat ants. Colonies generally are medium sized, with several hundred
- Latin Name: Formica exsectoides
- Latin Family Name: Forimcidae
- Common Name: Allegheny Mound Ant
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
This is a native species in eastern North America.
Biology:
This ant is one of the most common mound ant species in the eastern half of the U.S. and southern Canada. Workers create a large mound of debris on top of the soil, expanding the size over the years as the colony grows, often growing to a diameter of several feet and 3 to 4 feet high. The workers have no stinger, but they are capable of biting and then spraying a mist of acid onto that bite wound, causing a stinging sensation to the person attacked. The workers also inject this acid into plants that surround their nest mound, often killing these plants for many feet around the nest. The colony has multiple queens and development from egg to adult ant
- Latin Name: Linepithema humile
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Argentine Ant
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Thought to have arrived from Brazil in ships transporting coffee around 1891, and now found throughout North America, in Hawaii, and on most other continents throughout the world.
Biology:
Though the Argentine Ant is a small, non-stinging ant, it is a very territorial and aggressive ant that will drive away or kill competing ant species. Neighboring colonies of Argentine ants appear not to be aggressive toward each other, allowing for the rapid spread and domination by this species. Colonies contain thousands of workers and many queens, and mating will take place within the confines of the colony. New colonies are often formed by budding off from the parent colony. Nesting is usually in the soil, commonly under concrete
- Latin Name: Pheidole sp.
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Bigheaded Ants
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Several species of this genus are native to the southern United States, and they are also a common imported pest problem in Hawaii.
Biology:
These ants are similar to fire ants in appearance, but may be distinguished by the 12-segmented antennae with a 3-segmented club at the end, as well as by the “major” workers in the colony which have extremely enlarged heads, so large that on occasion they have difficulty walking. Colonies are normally established in the soil, but occasionally invade structures as they forage. Exterior nests are located under debris, logs, rocks, or other objects on the soil, as well as within cavities in rotting wood or old termite galleries. Big-headed ants feed on a variety of materials,
- Latin Name: Veromessor sp.
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Black Harvester Ant
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
These are native species in North America and are most common in the southwestern quarter of the U.S.
Biology:
As with most other harvester ants the black species rarely enters structures. They restrict their diet to seeds found outside, and forage at dusk for these natural foods. In agricultural fields they may be a problem as they gather seeds intended as crops. The nest opening may often be seen as large cracks at the soil surface rather than the wide circle of cleared soil around an opening as with red harvester ants. The harvester ants are capable of stinging but would do so only when directly threatened, such as when confined within clothing or if a person stands or sits on a nest opening or on foraging ants.
- Latin Name: Pogonomyrmex californicus
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: California Harvester Ant
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
These are native ants in the western U.S.
Biology:
As with most other harvester ants the California species rarely enters structures. They restrict their diet to seeds found outside, and forage at dusk for these natural foods. In agricultural fields they may be a problem as they gather seeds intended as crops. The nest usually is seen as one or more holes surrounded by a wide, cleared circle with a ring of soil at the perimeter. The harvester ants are capable of stinging but would do so only when directly threatened, such as when confined within clothing or if a person stands or sits on a nest opening or on foraging ants. They most often are found in dry climates and create nests deep underground. The
- Latin Name: Camponotus sp.
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Carpenter Ant
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Many species of these ants are native to North America, with several species seemingly the most likely to invade structural wood members. There are many destructive species in the Pacific Northwest states, as well as from Florida to the northeast to the southwest and in Hawaii.
Biology:
The usual habitat of a colony of carpenter ants is within wood, often wood buried or partially buried in the soil. They also commonly establish “satellite” colonies that may be in a structure, maintaining contact between the two colonies with the workers who travel to and from over well-defined trails. Generally there is a single queen in the colony but often supplementary queens as well. Colonies typically are around 15,000 workers
- Latin Name: Lasius alienus
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Cornfield Ant
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Native to North America, and primarily a pest problem in the Midwest to the Northeast states, although it appears to occur from California to Florida as well.
Biology:
This is primarily a soil nesting species, but nests may be under porches or other debris close to a structure, and the workers forage within the structure for protein or sugar substances. Natural foods include other insects as well as honeydew. Nest openings can be distinguished by the noticeable low mound of soil, about 8 to 10 inches in diameter, in lawns or open areas.
Identification:
This is a large ant, and similar to Field or Carpenter ants. However, it has no noticeable ocelli between the compound eyes and it has a distinct
- Latin Name: Paratrechina Sp.
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Crazy Ant
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Believed to be native to India, but now found throughout the world. It is most common in the U.S. from Florida to Texas along the Gulf Coast, but also occurs in other states from California to New York, as well as in Hawaii.
Biology:
This is a single-node ant whose common name comes from their habit of running around erratically, with no apparent purpose. Their extremely long legs and antennae tend to accentuate this behavior. Nests may be established in a wide variety of situations, from wet to dry habitats, in the soil under other objects, in tree holes, under mulch, in potted plant soils, or in other odd cavities they find. Within structures they nest in wall voids or under objects that are not moved for a period of time.
- Latin Name: Technomyrmex difficilis
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Difficult Ant
- Other Names: White-footed Ant
Origin:
Native to Southeast Asia and possibly the Australian region, but now spreading throughout much of the world. It is common in Florida and Hawaii and has been found as far west as California.
Biology:
This is a very important ant species, with colonies and their connected satellite colonies that may have several million adult ants in them. This includes many thousands of potential reproductive ants, and new colonies are begun by both swarming flights and by budding. Nests are commonly created above ground in trees or thick shrubbery, as well as stumps or hollow logs. Sweet foods are their primary nutrition, and unlike almost all other species of ants they do not share food from larvae to workers. Instead,