Linepithema humile
Mayr, 1868 (Argentine ant ) |
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Class: Insecta Order: Hymenoptera Family: Formicidae Synonym(s): Iridomyrmex humilis (Mayr, 1868) |
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Adult Description: Argentine ants (Linepithema humile)are medium sized ants with a slender, shiny, smooth body. They are light to dark brown in color. Worker ants are 2-3 mm long and monomorphic (all look the same). Queens are larger (4-6 mm long) and, along with a few workers, a queen may start a new colony of her own. A new colony can be established from as little as one queen and 10 workers. Forming colonies in this way is called budding and allows for much farther and faster distributions. Larva Description: Argentine ant larvae look like typical ant larvae. Host Plant: None History: The Argentine ant is an introduced species. They are native to Argentina and Brazil. Discovered in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1891, it is now established in many localities in the southern United States, and is found in Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. It is common in urban settings, but has also become established in rural areas. Biology: Argentine ants can develop enormous populations, with large colonies that are comprised of many nests containing hundreds of queens and many thousands of workers. Individual colony members move freely between and within these nests. Queens lay as many as 60 eggs per day. Development from egg to adult averages 74 days for workers. Worker longevity is 12 months. Winged male and female reproductives are produced during the spring. They apparently mate in the nest because mating flights have never been observed. During the spring and summer, large colonies often split or bud-off into several colonies. This splitting occurs when one or more queens accompanied by a group of workers leave the parent nest and find a new nesting site. Ants from different colonies are not aggressive toward one another. Argentine ants occupy flimsy, unstable nests and move very frequently to maintain a favorable microenvironment for brood rearing. Ecological Threat: Argentine ants are most notable as a nuisance pests in urban areas, especially because of the availability of water. This ant exists in back yards in high densities associated with landscape features that provide favorable microclimates, such as potted plants and walkway bricks or stones. They enter homes through cracks and other spaces, in search of food or water. US Habitat: Argentine ant nests are located in moist, but not wet, areas. Indoors, they are usually near water pipes, sinks, and potted plants. Outdoors, nesting sites include: under stones and boards, beneath plants, in fallen and rotting tree limbs, in tree stumps, and along sidewalks. They are highly adaptive and can nest in diverse habitats in both covered and exposed soil. Distribution
Resembles: This ant may be confused for the Pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis) due to their physical similarities. Management: Argentine ants are difficult to control within structures on a long-term basis. When colonies are eliminated from a building, new colonies quickly move into the area. Surveys should be made inside and outside buildings to locate all colonies. Text References
Data Source Last Updated: 2011-09-28 by Amber Bartelt - Sam Houston State University |
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