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Ants
- Latin Name: Solenopsis molesta
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Thief Ant
- Other Names: Piss ant, grease ant
Origin:
Not mentioned in literature, but this species is found throughout the United States as a common, indoor ant pest.
Biology:
This is a double-node ant, but is far too small to sting. Its name is derived due to its ability to enter the nests of other ants and steal and feed on the larvae of these other species. The small size of the Thief Ant allows it to move undetected. They feed on carbohydrate such as honeydew or sugary foods, but are particularly fond of oils and meat, even being found feeding on dead carcasses. A colony may have only a few hundred workers but many queens, and nests both indoors and outdoors can be located in very small cavities, under debris or objects on the soil, behind wall paneling
- Latin Name: Liometopum sp.
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Velvety Tree Ants
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
Native to the western United States and Mexico, and found throughout California south into Mexico and east to Colorado.
Biology:
This is a very fast moving, aggressive ant, and while it cannot sting it will readily bite and cause a stinging sensation with a spray of formic acid. Colonies may contain several thousand workers, all of the same size, and nests are usually associated with wood. This may be a rotting tree root system in the soil, hollow trunks or trees, or old tree stumps, and they can often be found foraging up and down very tall tree trunks, feeding on honeydew or on other insects. They commonly invade structures, particularly where tree limbs contact the building, and forage within.
Identification:
- Latin Name: Camponotus modoc
- Latin Family Name: Formicidae
- Common Name: Western Black Carpenter Ant
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
This is a native species in western North America. While there are many other species of carpenter ants in North America this species is one of the most common in the West. Images for another common western species are also shown.
Biology:
The usual habitat of a colony of carpenter ants is within wood, often wood buried or partially buried in the soil. They also commonly establish “satellite” colonies that may be in a structure, maintaining contact between the two colonies with the workers who travel to and from over well-defined trails. They are normally nocturnal. Generally there is a single queen in the colony but often supplementary queens as well. Colonies typically are around 15,000