Argentine Ant

Characteristics

• These ants vary from light brown to dark brown
• They create massive colonies with multiple queens all living together
• Will occasionally raise colonies of aphids in order to feed on their honeydew

The Argentine ant is a very adaptable species of ant that create massive colonies. Unlike many ants, new colonies are not formed by swarmers, instead of branching into separate colonies, new generations of breeders extend the existing colony. Neighboring colonies will not attack each other and workers frequently mingle. These “super colonies” of related ants can spread over entire states. Each individual colony can contain hundreds of queens and are usually found in moist soil next to buildings. These ants eat almost anything they can find and can quickly invade homes in large numbers. In fact some colonies are large enough to infest entire blocks. They travel in well-defined trails and enter home in search of foods.

These pests are notoriously difficult to get rid of due to the high number of queens. Traditional pesticides and boiling water only spur additional eggs to be laid and can make the problem worse. If you sight these ants, please contact a pest control professional before the infestation grows too large.