There are roughly 580 species of Ants in North America!
Making an attempt to checklist all of them could be unattainable. 🙂
Beneath are the most typical and plentiful sorts of ants, that are a part of the insect household Formicidae.
#1. Black Carpenter Ant
- Camponotus pennsylvanicus
- Adults are uninteresting black and have distinctive white or yellowish hairs on their abdomens.
- The biggest staff are 0.2-0.6 inches (0.5-1.6 cm) lengthy.
- Non-worker reproductive men and women have wings.
Black Carpenter Ants are the most typical ants in japanese and central North America.
You will discover them in grasslands, deciduous forests, and concrete and suburban areas. As their title suggests, they like to construct their nests in wooden, typically utilizing decaying logs, deciduous bushes, or wooden constructions.
Black Carpenter Ants aren’t choosy eaters and feed on different bugs, trash, nectar, fruit, and fungi.
These ants are surprisingly long-lived! Whereas reproductive males normally die shortly after mating, staff might reside for seven or extra years. Queens can reside for over ten years.
#2. American Winter Ant
- Adults vary from mild to darkish brown, typically with a darker stomach.
- When considered from the aspect, they’ve an hourglass or peanut form.
- The stomach of employee ants is usually giant and swollen from reserves when foraging.
The American Winter Ant earned its title for its distinctive means to maneuver about and forage in temperatures that ship different ants into their nests for shelter. When different ants are foraging in the summertime, they normally seal themselves into their nests and enter a hibernation-like state.
They could appear insignificant, however these bugs are important to our forests. Many native wildflowers like bloodroot, trillium, and violets rely on this ant for survival. The vegetation have a calorie-dense appendage hooked up to every seed, encouraging the ants to reap and transport them to a brand new location.
American Winter Ants may face up to invasive ant species in North America!
That is partially due to their means to forage at cool temperatures and their defensive capabilities. They’re aggressive with different ants and produce belly secretions which can be deadly to many different ant species, together with the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile).
#3. Immigrant Pavement Ant
- Staff are darkish brown to blackish.
- They’ve longitudinal, parallel ridges on their head and thorax.
Immigrant Pavement Ants thrive in city areas of North America. These European natives like constructing underground nests in areas with little vegetation. Consequently, you’ll typically see them nesting close to sidewalks, patios, foundations, and pavement.
Every of about 1000 ants defends a territory of round 460 sq. toes (43 m2). It’s widespread to see colonies battling for territory boundaries, particularly in spring, as new colonies are established. The employees additionally forage for honeydew excreted by aphids, seeds, bugs, fruit, and human meals like bread and cheese.
Gardeners could also be completely happy to see immigrant pavement ants round their property since they’re vital predators of coddling moth larvae, a serious agricultural pest in North America.
#4. Odorous Home Ant
- Grownup staff are normally a uniform shade starting from brown to black.
- They’ve a definite rotten odor when crushed.
Odorous home ants are extremely widespread as a result of they’ll adapt to almost any habitat in North America. They tolerate numerous habitats from sea degree to 13,000 toes (4000 m) of elevation and occupy city areas, forests, grasslands, bogs, and sandy coastal areas.
These ants are additionally generally seen in properties in North America.
And so they aren’t simply looking for a snug place to reside; odorous home ants love sweets! Within the wild, they have a tendency to feed on aphid honeydew and flower nectar, however they’ll gladly make the most of human meals when accessible.
They typically nest outdoors on stumps, rocks, matted grass, and different particles however use cracks and termite-damaged wooden present in properties. Curiously, these nests aren’t stationary.
Odorous home ants have a tendency to maneuver their nests about each 21 days. Additionally they are inclined to coexist peacefully with different ant species reasonably than strictly defend a territory.
#5. Darkish Rover Ant
- Grownup staff are very small and uniformly brown.
- Their antennae have 9 segments.
- They’ve comparatively giant eyes and lengthy hairs on their backs.
Native to South America, the darkish rover ant made its approach north within the Seventies. Darkish rover ants are sometimes thought of a nuisance species as a result of they construct nests in gardens or properties. In city areas, it’s widespread for them to make use of mulch and manufactured constructions to construct nests. In scorching, dry climates, these ants are usually drawn to the moisture in kitchens and bogs. Fortunately, they don’t chunk, sting, or carry any illnesses.
These ants have unfold into North America as a result of they often kind “supercolonies.”
Somewhat than have a single nest with one queen, sometimes, a colony will kind a number of nests, generally with a whole bunch of reproductive queens.
Moreover, darkish rover ants peaceably coexist with different native and launched species, together with these normally illiberal of different ants. Additionally they assist management one other invasive species, the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum).
#6. Chestnut Carpenter Ant
- Grownup staff are shiny and largely orangish-red, with darker heads.
- They’ve easy thoraxes, sq. heads, and abdomens separated by a single node.
Chestnut carpenter ants are one of many best ants in North America to determine.
They’re known as chestnut or pink hazelnut carpenter ants for his or her wealthy, orangish-red coloration.
Not like some ants, chestnut carpenter ants don’t are usually a nuisance to people. That is partially as a result of they have a tendency to reside in forests and different much less populated areas.
These ants prefer it heat! Within the winter, they go right into a hibernation-like state of their nest known as diapause. They have an inclination to enter this state throughout the first cool days of fall, a lot sooner than different ant species. Curiously, colonies should still go into diapause within the southern elements of their vary, like Florida, the place it stays comparatively heat year-round.
Chestnut carpenter ants have lengthy lifespans as soon as a colony is established. Particular person staff can reside for a number of years, and queens can reside for over a decade!
#7. Ferruginous Carpenter Ant
- Grownup staff are comparatively giant.
- They’ve black abdomens and heads with deep pink legs and midsections.
- They’ve quick, gold hairs on their our bodies, making them seem shiny.
These ants are primarily lively at evening in North America.
The employees spend the nighttime hours foraging for meals. They feed primarily on candy meals like nectar, the honeydew secreted by aphids, juice from berries and fruit, and sap from sure vegetation.
Ferruginous carpenter ants bought their title from their desire for making nests below the bark of decaying bushes or in rotting stumps and logs, generally tunneling into the wooden.
Although different carpenter ant species generally injury homes, ferruginous carpenter ants aren’t normally a big nuisance for people. Whereas they’re sometimes present in city areas, these bi-colored ants are forest dwellers. They thrive in blended, hardwood, and pine forests the place they’ll discover loads of appropriate nesting websites.
#8. Florida Carpenter Ant
- Massive grownup staff might attain as much as 1/2 inch (13 mm) lengthy.
- They’re bi-colored with a black stomach and a reddish-orange forebody.
- Their antennae have 12 segments.
Florida carpenter ants are among the many largest ants in North America.
They have an inclination to reside in comparatively giant colonies, typically reaching 8,000 or extra particular person ants after simply two to a few years.
Inside the colony, the employees are divided into castes, with staff of various sizes performing totally different duties. For instance, the smallest typically take care of the queen and brood, whereas the biggest ants, the key staff, defend the nest.
Many mid-sized staff spend most of their time foraging, normally at evening or in heavy shade. They’re omnivorous and can feed on different bugs and candy meals like flower nectar and the honeydew secreted by aphids. Curiously, these ants typically defend the aphids so that they hold producing honeydew.
For those who spot a Florida carpenter ant nest, know they don’t take intruders frivolously. These fast-moving, giant, aggressive ants rapidly swarm something that disturbs their nest. Utilizing their giant mandibles, they’ll break the pores and skin and also will spray poisonous formic acid.
#9. Sleek Twig Ant
- Staff are slender, wasp-like, and as much as 0.4 inches (10mm) lengthy.
- They’re darkish coloured on the pinnacle and stomach, whereas their legs, physique, mouth, and antennae are uninteresting orange with darkish shading.
- Their midsection or petiole has two segments, and their antennae have 12 segments.
These ants in North America are well-known for his or her painful sting.
The sleek twig ant’s look is wasp-like, and its bi-colored sample might function a warning to would-be predators.
These intimidating ants thrive in lots of habitats, together with rainforests, mangroves, fields, and dry forests. Their food plan is equally various and consists of reside bugs, fungal spores, and honeydew secreted by aphids. They often have a tendency or farm the aphids, maintaining them secure in order that they proceed to supply honeydew.
Sleek twig ants normally nest in present cavities. They use hollows in plant stalks, useless branches, or twigs. Typically, these hollows have been created by different bugs like long-horned beetles. Watch out should you come throughout one. Sleek twig ants rapidly swarm and sting anybody who disturbs their nest.
#10. Texas Leafcutter Ant
- Staff are rust-brown and as much as 1/2 inch (12mm) lengthy.
- They’ve three distinguished pairs of spines on their backs.
Texas leafcutter ants are thought of main agricultural pests. The employees acquire leaves and buds from numerous vegetation, together with weeds, grasses, and, most notably, citrus bushes.
A single colony of those ants in North America can defoliate a tree in lower than 24 hours!
You would possibly suppose the ants eat the leaves themselves, however the fact is way more fascinating. As an alternative, employee ants chew them right into a high quality paste, which is used to develop huge underground fungus gardens. They fastidiously handle and have a tendency these fungus gardens so that every one members of the colony can feed on the fungus.
It could sound like an odd technique, however these ants are extremely profitable. A single mature colony can include over two million ants! Their nests can attain 15 to twenty toes deep and include quite a few chambers and interconnected passageways.
These colonies are typically straightforward to seek out. They’re significantly widespread in well-drained, sandy, or loamy soil. On the floor of the bottom, you’ll discover many 5 to 14-inch tall, 1 to 1-1/2 foot diameter filth or sand mounds with central openings.
#11. Widespread Citronella Ant
- Staff are usually yellow and fewer than 0.15 inches (4 mm) lengthy.
- When threatened or crushed, they emit a citronella odor.
- They’ve 12 segmented antennae, sparse hairs on their heads and our bodies, and a single node connecting their higher physique and stomach.
Widespread citronella ants look and scent just like the bigger citronella ant (Lasius interjectus), one other ant species in North America. Their solely actual variation is their slight dimension distinction. Bigger citronella ants might attain 0.2 inches (4.5 mm) lengthy.
Curiously, these ants don’t normally construct nests themselves. The queens infiltrate the nest of a distinct ant species, kill the queen, and use the employees to take care of the preliminary brood of eggs. This takes an infinite burden off the queen and provides the colony a soar begin. Due to this “shortcut,” colonies can rapidly develop into monumental and unfold over giant sections of forest.
You will discover colonies of widespread citronella ants in gardens, lawns, open woodlands, pastures, and close to home foundations. The nests are sometimes positioned below an object like a stone, log, or stump for canopy.
#12. Bearded Carpenter Ant
- They’ve a darkish reddish-brown head, physique, and legs.
- They’ve a distinctly striped stomach with mild and darkish bands.
- Staff are comparatively small for carpenter ant species.
These ants normally reside in woodlands in North America.
Right here, they’ll discover ample locations to nest with a number of safety from predators and climate. Like many carpenter ants, they like to construct nests in decaying stumps, logs, and useless bushes. They don’t eat the wooden; they tunnel into it. They can even construct nests within the floor, normally close to stumps or bushes.
Since they don’t inhabit or injury properties and different buildings, these colourful creatures aren’t thought of a pest to householders.
Bearded carpenter ants are straightforward to determine by their stunning banded abdomens. They’ve alternating strains of sunshine tan or yellowish and darkish brown.
#13. Buren’s Pyramid Ant
- Staff are typically orangish and will have a darker stomach.
- They’ve a pyramid-shaped projection on their again and 12-segmented antennae.
- These ants emit a foul scent when crushed. It’s typically in comparison with coconut.
Buren’s pyramid ants are a fan of lately disturbed habitats. Search for them in areas comparable to lawns, roadsides, sandhills, dunes, fields, pastures, and scrubland.
It’s additionally widespread to identify them close to different ant species in North America.
Buren’s pyramid ants wish to assemble their nests in open clearings with sandy soil, so that they typically place their nest entrance within the cleared zone round a nest of harvester ants. The excavated filth types a round pile round their entrance gap.
When you’ve got fireplace ants or different undesirable species, these are the ants you need round. Researchers have noticed Buren’s pyramid ants attacking particular person fireplace ant staff and newly mated fireplace ant queens. They even go away “bone piles” of their victims outdoors their nests!
They’re fast-moving and orange-colored, which might be intimidating to those that aren’t massive ant followers. Fortunately, these ants aren’t aggressive in the direction of people.
#14. Longhorn Loopy Ant
- The employees are grayish-black or brownish-black.
- They’ve pale brown legs and lengthy, 12-segmented antennae.
- They’ve quite a few coarse hairs on their physique and a small circle of hair on the tip of their stomach.
This can be probably the most widespread ant species in North America and even the world!
Longhorn loopy ants are initially native to the tropics however simply adapt and make themselves at residence in disturbed areas, city areas, and inside buildings.
They’re known as loopy ants due to their erratic motion patterns. Somewhat than touring in straight strains like many ant species, these ants rush round with seemingly no sample or path.
A part of their success in spreading worldwide could also be resulting from their various omnivorous food plan. Longhorn loopy ants will feed on seeds, plant sap, fruit, useless bugs, honeydew secretions from aphids and different bugs, and human family scraps and waste.
Fortunately, these ants don’t pose any risk to people. Nonetheless, they’ll chunk enemies to defend the colony and bend their abdomens to purpose and shoot formic acid at them.
#15. Massive Imported Massive-headed Ant
- Staff are very giant, darkish ants.
- They’ve noticeably enlarged heads, and the primary piece of their antennae is lengthy and thick.
- The totally different colony members have an unlimited dimension disparity, with main staff almost double the scale of minor staff.
This ant was first launched to North America within the Fifties.
It has been a lot slower to increase its vary than different invasive ant species. Massive imported big-headed ants usually nest in open, disturbed habitats. Their nests are normally straightforward to identify, with a big, conspicuous crater of excavated soil across the entrance.
Regardless of their sluggish growth, these ants are robust! Not like many species, they readily assault fireplace ants (Solenopsis invicta) and sometimes outcompete them to win meals. They’re additionally voracious predators that can group as much as assault and carry giant prey like caterpillars again to their nest. There are even some studies that they could attempt to eat nestling birds!
Regardless of these aggressive tendencies, giant imported big-headed ants are omnivores. Along with reside prey, additionally they search seeds and honeydew secreted from bugs. If accessible, they can even feed on fruit, human scraps, and carrion.
#16. Northern Fungus-farming Ant
- Trachymyrmex septentrionalis
- Staff are comparatively small and brownish-yellow to medium reddish-brown.
- Their heads are barely broader than they’re lengthy.
- They’ve rounded abdomens.
Northern forest fungus-farming ants reside in open oak and pine woodlands in North America. One of many best methods to acknowledge these ants is to search for their nest. Once they excavate soil, they make a pile that types a crescent form round half of the nest reasonably than a circle round the entire nest like most different ants.
Their nest is much more fascinating on the within! That is the place the ants do a lot of their work. Foraging staff convey again items of leaves and different plant materials, which the ants chew right into a paste to feed and preserve a fungus backyard.
All the ants within the colony depend on the fungus as their sole meals supply.
Scientists imagine that these ants play an essential position in our forests. Their excavation and fungus farming course of brings minerals and vitamins within the soil to the floor, making them accessible to vegetation, different fungi, and micro organism.
#17. New York Carpenter Ant
- Camponotus novaeboracensis
- Staff are giant and will develop as much as 0.62 inches (16 mm) lengthy.
- Their abdomens and heads are black, whereas their thorax or physique is pink or reddish-brown.
- Their legs are a darkish reddish-brown.
New York carpenter ants stands out as the fastest-growing ant species in North America! They happen in moist woodlands, on the sides of bogs, and in wetlands. As their title suggests, they like to construct their nests in wooden. Normally, they create tunnels in stumps, logs, or previous homes.
Whereas they don’t eat wooden, solely tunnel and nest in it, they’ve voracious appetites! New York carpenter ants will feed on virtually something they discover, together with carrion, beetle larvae, honeydew, flower nectar, human scraps, and different bugs like roaches and fruit flies.
Watch the video under to see them acquire honeydew from aphids!
#18. Allegheny Mound Ant
- Staff’ heads and thoraxes or our bodies are reddish-orange, whereas their abdomens are brownish-black.
- The rear margins of their heads are concave.
- Staff are comparatively small however might attain 0.25 inches (6.4 mm) lengthy.
Allegheny mound ants construct a number of the largest mounds of any ant in North America!
These spectacular mounds of soil can attain 3-9 ft (0.9-2.7 m) in diameter and about 2 ft (0.6 m) tall, although some historic data point out even bigger mounds.
These mounds serve primarily as safety for the queens and an incubating chamber for eggs and larvae. They’ve tunnels which will additionally prolong about 4 toes into the bottom.
Allegheny mound ants present a powerful desire for open, sunny habitats. They have an inclination to nest on strip mines and ridge tops. Additionally they work exhausting to maintain their territory open and freed from brush or different vegetation.
These ants inject formic acid into bushes and shrubs, killing any vegetation inside 40-50 ft (12-15 m) of their mounds.
They often kind supercolonies in superb habitats with interconnected mounds unfold over a reasonably large territory. These supercolonies can include thousands and thousands of ants and will persist for many years!
#19. Argentine Ant
- Staff are reddish-brown, sometimes darkening to black on the ideas of their abdomens.
- They’ve a single node or petiole between their physique and stomach and heads which can be longer than broad.
- Staff are small and comparatively hairless.
In line with the World Invasive Species Database, Argentine ants are among the many world’s 100 worst invasive animals. Native to South America, these ants are actually discovered on each continent besides Antarctica!
An important motive for his or her success is their means to create what scientists name “megacolonies.” Not like many different ant species, Argentine ants aren’t aggressive or aggressive with different ants of the identical species. As an alternative, they kind intensive networks of interrelated colonies, and every colony has a number of queens. Research have proven that these tremendous colonies might prolong for a whole bunch of miles! Their cooperation means they spend much less time and sources defending nests and extra time foraging.
Whereas Argentine ants aren’t aggressive and don’t instantly hurt people like fireplace ants, they’ve some vital unfavorable impacts. These ants farm pests like aphids, mealybugs, and scale bugs and eat the larvae of many important pollinators. Each these components lower crop yields.
#20. Crimson Harvester Ant
- Staff differ from mild to darkish pink.
- They’ve broad, boxy heads with hairs on their undersides and 12-segmented antennae.
- Their waists are divided into two elements.
Crimson harvester ants are sometimes mistaken for fireplace ants in North America.
And though they’re a distinct species, they nonetheless have a painful sting, so that you’re sensible to keep away from them. Nonetheless, in contrast to carnivorous fireplace ants, their food plan is 90% seeds and grains.
They return these to the nest, make them right into a bread-like substance utilizing their mandibles, and retailer them within the colony’s granary. Additionally they eat different bugs for protein.
In pure settings, they are often extremely useful. They assist disperse plant seeds, enhance soil fertility, and feed on different pests, comparable to termites, ticks, screwworm larvae, and crop pests. Sadly, their behavior of consuming seeds may spell hassle for farmers after they feed on pasture grasses and crops like corn and oats.
Sadly, their nesting habits are additionally detrimental to vegetation. Crimson harvester ants choose to nest in open areas, so that they kill all of the vegetation across the mound, leaving a naked patch of earth as much as 110 sq. toes (10 sq. meters).
#21. Tough Harvester Ant
- Staff differ from darkish pink to brown or black however are uniformly darker than different harvester ants.
- They’ve many strains and punctures on their heads and our bodies, giving them a tough texture.
- Their antennae have twelve segments.
Often known as the desert harvester ant, this ant primarily inhabits dry landscapes in North America. You will discover them in grasslands, deserts, and scrublands.
Tough harvester ants kind giant, crater-like mounds on the entrance to their nest.
Their colonies develop giant and will embody as much as 15,000 staff. These staff use the identical trails when leaving the nest, creating noticeable, everlasting pathways.
Like different harvester ant species, they primarily feed on grains and seeds. Nonetheless, in contrast to different harvester ants, tough harvesters normally aren’t agricultural pests. That is partly resulting from their habitat, which isn’t superb for rising crops.
#22. Black Harvester Ant
- Staff are shiny, darkish brown, or black.
- Their heads are as broad as they’re lengthy and have giant, conspicuous mandibles.
- They’ve quick white or yellow hairs on their heads, our bodies, and legs.
Black harvester ants thrive within the hottest, most arid areas in North America.
One of many best methods to seek out them is to search for their large chaff piles. These chaff piles are made out of husks and further materials from processing grains and seeds, that are the ants’ main meals supply.
Harvester ants are sometimes considered negatively. Nonetheless, they do have some unimaginable advantages. Their chaff piles and “trash dumps” often present properties for different bugs like beetles that scavenge them.
Moreover, the outer rings of their nest areas are additionally a number of the most fertile land of their harsh habitat. The additional vitamins and decreased competitors that end result from the ants’ exercise give vegetation on this space a bonus. For instance, after a wildfire, the nest rim vegetation is usually the primary to get better and helps recolonize the remainder of the realm.
Black harvester ants additionally don’t are usually main crop pests. They feed totally on wild vegetation like perennial shrubs, creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), and burro weed (Ambrosia dumosa).
#23. Western Harvester Ant
- Pogonomyrmex occidentalis
- Staff are darkish pink and barely shiny.
- They show vital texture on their heads and thoraxes.
- They’ve boxy heads with 12 segmented antennae.
Western harvester ant colonies in North America might last as long as 40 years!
They inhabit arid areas like high-elevation grasslands, sagebrush, and forests and at all times choose nest websites in open areas.
One function that units western harvester ants aside is their conspicuous nests. These ants assemble giant gravel mounds and take away the vegetation round them. You’ll be able to spot the nests from aerial images! And these hills aren’t only for appears to be like: selecting websites in open areas and eradicating the vegetation across the nest retains them from burning throughout wildfires.
Don’t get too shut, although. Mature colonies include about 20,000 staff and can aggressively defend the nest, delivering painful stings.
#24. Western Black Carpenter Ant
- Staff are uninteresting black with darkish pink legs.
- Staff could also be as much as 0.5 inches lengthy (13 mm).
- They’ve golden hairs which can be most plentiful on their abdomens.
Western black carpenter ants are normally present in forested areas in North America.
They appear particularly keen on coniferous forests however can even use aspen and hardwood forests.
They’re known as carpenter ants as a result of they normally make their nests in useless wooden, comparable to stumps and rotting logs, particularly these with some bark hooked up.
Sadly for people, this predisposition to wooden means they could injury properties in forested areas, particularly log or wooden properties. They are often particularly troublesome as a result of they kind huge colonies, generally containing 50,000 staff. That many ants can definitely trigger injury to a cabin or home!
#25. Western Thatching Ant
- Most staff usually have reddish-orange heads, reddish-orange or black chests, and black abdomens.
- Small staff could also be all black or darkish brown.
- They’ve one node between their higher physique and stomach.
These are the one ants in North America that construct thatched roofs for themselves!
Western thatching ants create large filth mounds, however reasonably than leaving them naked like many species, they cowl them with a layer of twigs, grasses, and different small items of plant materials. Exactly what they use will depend on their location.
These thatched roofs enable them to outlive all kinds of temperature, humidity, and climate circumstances. The dimensions of the colony’s mound typically will depend on its age. These of mature colonies often attain 18 inches (45 cm) tall, however even taller mounds aren’t unusual!
Take a better have a look at this astonishing species within the video under.
#26. Crimson Imported Hearth Ant (RIFA)
Often known as fireplace ants or pink ants.
- Adults are normally darkish reddish brown.
- Staff measure 0.13 to 0.25 inches (0.32 to 0.64 cm) lengthy.
- They’ve two nodes on the petiole (waist) and two segmented antennal golf equipment.
Crimson Imported Hearth Ants are troublesome bugs in japanese North America.
A single fireplace ant can sting repeatedly, and the colony will assault something that disturbs their nest or meals supply.
These ants have venom with poisonous alkaloids and proteins that may trigger burning and swelling. If you’re stung by a swarm over a big portion of your physique, or if you’re allergic or acutely delicate to RIFA venom, you must search medical consideration as quickly as you’re stung.
Unsurprisingly, this invasive species can be thought of an agricultural and residential pest. Colonies can injury crops, injure livestock, and even injury sidewalks. Though they not often nest indoors, you must name a pest management specialist should you discover a colony in your property. Don’t attempt to eradicate the ants your self; you’ll seemingly be stung!
Though they’re largely a nuisance, Crimson Imported Hearth Ants even have unimaginable survival expertise. For instance, they’ve been noticed constructing rafts as close by water ranges rise to keep away from drowning.
#27. Southern Hearth Ant
- Staff usually have a pink head and higher physique and a black stomach, however sometimes, they could be uniformly darkish brown.
- Staff could also be as much as 0.25 inches lengthy (6 mm).
Traditionally, southern fireplace ants have been the most typical fireplace ant species in North America.
Nonetheless, the unfold of pink imported fireplace ants (Solenopsis invicta) has considerably decreased their populations. That is unlucky for people because the pink imported fireplace ant has a way more painful sting.
Southern fireplace ants construct smaller, inconspicuous mounds that you could be not discover. Nonetheless, don’t mistake these for innocent ant nests. Southern fireplace ant staff will swarm out of the nest to defend the colony if disturbed.
They seize their attackers by biting them earlier than delivering a painful sting. There’s a variety of them, too. Mature colonies can include 1000’s of staff.
#28. Western Velvety Tree Ant
- Their heads and thoraces are reddish-brown, they usually have velvety black abdomens.
- Staff could also be as much as 0.25 inches lengthy (6 mm).
These ants choose to nest below bark or within the crevices of bushes in North America.
They like oaks, alders, elms, and creosote bushes. Like carpenter ants, their desire for wooden nests could make them a difficulty for householders. They like moist circumstances and are sometimes discovered close to home windows and in bogs.
It may be exhausting to eradicate this species as a result of western velvety tree ants are adaptable. They often prey on different bugs and thoroughly have a tendency and farm honey-dew-producing bugs. Moreover, they’ll eat sugary meals that people have unnoticed. It’s widespread to identify huge strains of those foraging ants extending virtually 200 toes (60 meters) from their nest websites.
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