![]() They will, however, nest inside the rotten wood and even takeover termite galleries, attacking the termites, consuming their eggs and adapting their home inside of the wood. This is understandably a common misconception. The species of Carpenter Ant found in South Florida does not eat wood either. In Martin County, Fire Ants still are the predominant ants in Palm City (34990) while BHA appears to do better in more urbanized areas of Stuart and Jensen Beach.Ĭarpenter Ants (Camponotus floridanus) are similar to their cousins the Big-Headed Ant and Fire Ants in that they prefer protein to carbohydrate-based foods. In Port Saint Lucie, Fire Ants are still common in the Torino area (34986), and both species are present in Tradition (34987). Recently, Big Headed Ants seem to be displacing Fire Ants large parts of southern Florida, though they certainly have not eliminated Fire Ants altogether. Individuals themselves are susceptible to common insecticides but the sheer number of an invading colony means most chemical applications are not effective at gaining control. This can make control much more difficult. Big Headed Ants have massive interconnected colonies that can span across multiple properties. Another distinguishing factor between these two ants is the BHA does not possess the ability to sting, though you will not want to get close enough to find out which ant you are dealing with using this method. While Big Headed Ants are also polymorphic, they are generally only two sizes, one of which (the soldier) displays their characteristically large head. Fire Ants exhibit a wide range of sizes (polymorphic) within the same colony. They are most easily be distinguished by looking closely at the size of individual ants. These reddish-brown ants are easily mistaken for FIRE ANTS. Big-Headed Ants (Pheidole megacephala) have long been a major pest in Africa and Australia, but do to human activity inadvertently distributing them around the world, they have recently become a serious pest control problem in South Florida.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |