White Footed House Ant

Life Cycle

• A colony can house up to a million ants, making these invasive ants very hard to eradicate.
• Nearly half a colony is made up of fertile females – so reproductive capabilities are huge. These fertile females are winged and larger than wingless females.
• Winged males mate once before they die; wingless males are capable of multiple mating.
• Adult workers are wingless females and are the ones seen looking for food.

Habits

• They do not bite or sting.
• Although colonies are vast in numbers, they tend to spread out into satellite colonies that nest in different locations.
• Ideal outdoor nesting locations include trees (in trunks or galleries that might have been created by termites), under loose bark or plant debris, near attics, under roof shingles, in wall voids, along fences and in outdoor furniture. Indoors, they can be found in the kitchen area near bins or where food is stored or prepared.
• These ants are attracted to sweet substances – plant nectar, flowers and sweet human food substances. They’re also attracted to aphids and mealy bugs that secrete honeydew.
• Most likely to be seen foraging for food in large numbers, most likely at night if temperatures are high.