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General Characteristics:

- Native to Argentina and Brazil

- Workers are 1/12 to 1/8 inches (2.2 – 2.6 mm) long
- Queens are larger from 1/6 to 1/4 inches long

- Has only a single abdominal pedicel, the petiole and a 12 segmented antenna without club

- Workers are usually a uniform light brown to brown and are slender bodied with an oval to somewhat triangular shaped head

- Omnivorous diet

- Workers do not have a sting but can bite

- Aggressive and may displace native ant colonies, but may co-exist and extend colonies with ants of the same species

- Feeds on live and dead insects, honeydew produced by insects, meats, pet foods, sweets (such as sugar, syrup, etc.) among many other things

Reproduction:

- Nest in many diverse habitats (soil, both exposed and under cover, rotten wood, standing dead trees, refuse piles, bird nests, bee hives, and many other places)

- Infestation occurs quickly due to production of uncountable numbers of individuals as a result of the many reproductive queens in a colony

- Argentine ants do not nest in single, easily recognized colonies and therefore, are not
easily treatable nest sites. Instead, a single colony will have many different nest sites, connected by trails.

- Nesting sites normally are hidden and difficult to detect

- Indoor nest sites may be located in wall voids, behind insulation, under house siding or shingles, behind brick veneer, in potted plants, under carpeting or other flooring, and in other protected sites.

- Nest sites usually are located in moist areas like bathrooms and kitchens, and indoor nests often are associated with plumbing or structural leaks.

Signs of Infestation:

- May not eat large quantities of food in homes but they contaminate the food stores, and generally the entire amount of an infested product should be thrown away

- As colonies have large numbers they can be found crawling anywhere in the home including shelves, closets, stoves, dishwashers, countertops, refrigerators, beds, in clothes, or anywhere else imaginable

- These ants also may spread disease because they tend to crawl over such things as feces, dead and decaying animals, sewage, and other forms of refuse

Control Techniques:

- In well established areas it is nearly impossible to eliminate them from the landscape

- A combination of different methods, including sanitation, exclusion, baiting, and treating with insecticides is necessary
for control

- We recommend professional consultation if problems persist to determine the most appropriate solution(s)

Please click here to contact a Focus Pest Control professional to inquire about further treatments for this pest species.


References:

Layton, B. and J. A. MacGown. 2006. Control of Argentine Ants and Odorous House Ants in the Home. Mississippi State University Extension Service, Publication no. 2407. 7 pp.

Macgown, Joe A. “Ants (Formicidae) of the South Eastern United States”(On-line). Mississippi Entomological Museum (Mississippi State University). Accessed August 24, 2009 at http://mississippientomologicalmuseum.org.msstate.edu//Researchtaxapages/Formicidaepages/genericpages/Line.humile.htm.

Disclaimer:

The Focus Pest Control ‘Pest Library’ is an educational resource written largely to educate the general public about common pests in Ontario. The Focus ‘Pest Library’ does not include all species in Ontario, nor does it include the most recent scientific data about species we describe. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts. While Focus Pest Control staff and contributors provide references to books and websites that we believe are reputable, we cannot necessarily endorse the contents of references beyond our control.

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