Ant Species

There are thousands of ant species across the world, but here are some you are more likely to find in the MENAT region.

Garden Ant

(Lasius niger)

Appearance

• Workers 4-5mm long.
• Queens 15mm long.
• Dark brown-black in colour.
• 1 small segment at waist point (pedicel).
• No sting present.

Life Cycle

• Queens overwinter in soil. Eggs are laid in late spring.
• Larvae hatch 3-4 weeks later. 
• Larvae feed on secretions from the queen’s salivary glands until the first worker ants emerge.
• Worker ants continue with larval care, nest building and food foraging.
• Fertile males are produced later in the season.

Habits

• Foraging worker ants follow well–defined trails around food sources. Sweet foods are preferred but high protein foods will also be taken.
• Swarming characteristics – mating between queens and fertile males takes place on the wing mid to late summer. Males perish after mating.
• Nest locations – often outdoors in soil and below paving slabs on the sunny side of buildings.
• Nest locations can be identified by the presence of finely powdered soil around nest exit holes.

Roger’s Ant

(Hypoponera punctatissima)

Appearance

• Reddish brown in colour.
• Workers 2mm long.
• 1 large segment at the pedicel.
• First two segments of the abdomen are constricted.
• Sting present.

Life Cycle

• Little is known about the lifecycle.

Habits

• Workers forage randomly and lay no trails as live prey are hunted, especially springtails. Rarely seen outdoors.
• Swarming characteristics — will swarm all year round. Winged adults are often found in electric fly killers.
• Nest locations — damp residues and debris. Crevices around drains and behind broken wall tiles.

Pharaoh’s Ant

(Monomorium pharaonis)

Appearance

• Workers 1.5-2mm long, yellow-brown with brown abdomen.
• Males 3mm long, black, winged.
• Queens 3.5-6mm long, dark red in colour with wings.
• Black eyes, 2 small segments at the pedicel.

Life Cycle

• Multi-queen colonies.
• Swarming can take place at any time of the year.
• Winged adults seldom fly so rarely seen. Wings are soon lost after mating.

Habits

• Well–defined trails are laid which are often associated with heating systems. Feeds indoors on high protein foods — meat, fats, blood, dead insects, etc.
• Swarming characteristics — new colonies are often formed through nests that have been disturbed e.g., as a result of insecticide spray treatments.
• Each queen produces up to 3500 eggs in its lifetime.
• Nest locations — deep seated in cavities in heated buildings. Often found in hospitals. Associated with humid conditions. Colonies can range from a few dozen to 300,000 individuals.

Ghost Ant

(Tapinoma melanocephalum)

Appearance

• Pale/Translucent legs and abdomen.
• Approx 1.6mm long.

Life Cycle

• Continuous breeding colonies.

Habits

• Feeding – indoors: sweet substances and grease; outdoors: insects that produce honeydew.
• Nesting – indoors: small spaces, wall voids; outdoors: in flowerpots, under objects on the ground, under loose bark.
• Locations - attracted to high moisture areas, can be found in kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
• Colonies can occupy several different nesting sites.

Pavement Ant

(Tetramorium caespitum)

Appearance

• Dark brown or blackish.
• Approx 3mm long.
• 6 legs.
• 2 spines on the back.
• 2 nodes on petiole.
• Grooves on head and thorax.
• Thorax uneven with 1 pair of spines.
• 12-segmented antennae with 3-segmented club.
• Winged ants are often mistaken for termites.

Life Cycle

• Visible spring and summer.
• Have been known to emerge any time of the year in heated structures.

Habits

• Feeding - eat almost anything that humans eat, and also pet food.
• Visibility - seen entering houses looking for food, most often at night. May move through pipes and electrical wires.
• Nesting - in lawns or under stones, wood, or boards. Mounds built along sidewalks, baseboards, and near foundations in clusters.
• Colonies found near water.