An Argentine ant super-colony stretches 560 miles along the California coast. Our clients live in the middle of it.
Ever wonder why it is so difficult to get rid of ants?
Answer: You are surrounded.
An Argentine ant super-colony stretches from Mexico to Ukiah. This super-colony is formed of closely related smaller colonies that do not compete with each other. As soon as you manage to eliminate one colony, another colony nearby is ready to take their place. It takes constant vigilance to control Argentine ants.
Five Reasons to Hate Argentine Ants
1. Argentine ants eat what we do. They prefer sweets but will eat almost anything including meat, egg, oil and fat. Also, when foraging for food, Argentine ants leave pheromone trails everywhere they go, instead of just from nest to food source. This efficient habit ensures they do not waste time visiting the same area twice.
2. Argentine ants nest just about anywhere. The worker ants are 1/16″ to 1/4″ long and easily squeeze through the smallest cracks and holes. They nest in the ground, in cracks in concrete walls, in spaces between boards and timbers, and in your house!
3. Argentine ants farm aphids. Argentine ants sometimes tend aphid colonies in gardens. They protect aphids from predators (we’ve seen them stage group attacks on ladybugs). Argentine ants become aphid farmers in order to feast off the aphid excretion known as honeydew.
4. Argentine ants are good reproducers. Argentine ant colonies have as many as eight reproductive queens for every 1,000 workers. Colonies reproduce by budding off into new units. As few as ten workers and a single queen can establish a new colony. Theses sister colonies don’t compete with each other…that’s how the California super-colony got started.
5. Argentine ants wipe out native ants. “Argentine ants are not good neighbors. When they meet ants from another colony, any other colony, they fight to the death, and tear the other ants to pieces. While other kinds of ants sometimes take slaves or even have sex with ants from different colonies, the Argentine ants don’t fool around. If you’re not part of the colony, you’re dead.”—Radiolab.org
[…] Five Reasons to Hate Argentine Ants […]
[…] are region specific. In California, the insect that generates the most calls from customers is the Argentine ant. Termites are also very common. There are different species of termites depending on which area of […]
You forgot to mention that
1) Argentinian ants can eradicate termite colonies
2) Argentinian ants do not bite or sting humans and are quite harmless
3) Annoying kitchen invasions can be easily thwarted by following
ants to the point of entry and placing Clarks ant stake at that point—
incoming ants will take the bait and return to the queen.
Ants in the kitchen area can be killed by spraying with Spic ‘n Span, or
other surface cleaner. Ants on floor can be vacuumed up.
The points you mention about Argentinian ants are true as far as they go—
but hardly a reason to “hate” Argentinian ants.
As a long time resident of California, I can tell you that the native ants
that the Argentinian ants have replaced can sting like hell.
I know, balance of nature and all of that, but migration and competition
between ant species is quite natural.
Survival of the fittest. Remember that?
We forgot to mention many things in our Argentine ant post; however, there is no scientific evidence that Argentine ants attack termite colonies. 1) This is an internet rumor. 2) One’s position on whether or not Argentine ants are harmless depends upon your stance on native versus non-native species and the importance of biodiversity. We’re not alone in considering Argentine ants very harmful. Argentine ants are one of the world’s worst invasive alien species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In California, by eliminating the native ant diet of the coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum), Argentine ants have further imperiled this engendered lizard and they have negatively impacted the important seed dispersal function of the native Western harvester ant–two more reasons to hate them. 3) Regarding kitchen invasions, your information about baiting is correct (except that there is no product under the brand name you mentioned). Argentine ants are best managed with bait and exclusion (closing the entry points to your kitchen).
Finally, you are correct that migration and competition between ant species is natural; however, Argentine ants did not migrate to North America. They were introduced to North America through human activity and thereby leapfrogged all the competitive skirmishes that would have impacted their migration. (To go Mr. Science on you, this is called “long-distance jump dispersal.”)
According to IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group, these are the general impacts of Argentine ants:
Sorry Dave, we still hate Argentine ants!
I own a pest control providing company on the east coast in Jacksonville, NC, and have dealt with Argentine Ants on the west coast a couple of times, and have seen that they can eradicate termites, and are also somewhat harmless as well. You do have a good argument though, they can eat almost anything. Amazing little creatures.