Page 26 - AG 7-2011 Revised 2016

ARGENTINE ANT

Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR
Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR
• Ant wings are about the same Argentine
length as the body, termite wings Ant
are longer than the body.

• Ants bodies are clearly segmented
into three parts with a petiole, termite
bodies have no clear segments.

• Ants have antennas that are bent like
an elbow, termites have straight antennas.

1.Antenna-12 segmented parts 6.Thorax- uneven Argentine Ant
2.Eyes- 2 facing forward 7.Petiole- single node
3.Head 8.Abdomen- teardrop shape 1
4.Legs- 6 9.Color- light to dark brown 68
5.Wings- on alates & budding 10.Other- multiple queens 7

Life Cycle 2
The eggs hatch in about two weeks into larvae. The larvae mature
into a pupae in about a month, and the pupa stage lasts only 15 Drawing by Corky’s Pest Control, Inc.
days. The whole process of egg to adult can range from as short
as 33 days to a maximum of 141 days.

Actual size 1/8”

The Argentine ant is small--about 1/8th inch and is a brownish color. It has widely infested
urban areas, with multiple colonies in a relatively small area, and each colony containing
thousands of workers. Foraging columns of the ants are seen heading out from the colony to
seek food and water sources. They are the most persistent and troublesome ant that invades
houses--since they are small, they can get in through tiny cracks. They tend and defend aphids
and scale, seeking the honeydew, so they foster plant damage by those insects. Argentine Ants
live in shallow galleries in the ground--often only a few inches deep. A single colony will have
multiple queens, and can grow quite rapidly, displacing other native types of ants. They also
rapidly establish other colonies when a queen leaves and takes some of the workers with her.
These satellite colonies may eventually return or they may become the mother colony to many
new colonies. During the hot summer months, some may even be temporarily established
inside homes--under carpets, attic insulation, or in walls and potted plants.

20