ARGENTINE ANT
(Linepithema humile)
ARGENTINE ANT
- Length: 2 mm long.
- Appearance: light to dark brown in colour.
- Life span: Workers appear in the spring and they continue to increase in number until the autumn.
- Habitat: they mate in their nest but do not form a colony.
- Diet: Sugary food such as fruits and cereals.
But they also eat meat and insects.
Found around the world, its troops are currently deployed across more than 6,000 km in Europe, along the coasts of Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. There is nothing this tiny, pale-brown ant is afraid of, especially other ants, even the biggest of them.
BLACK CARPENTER ANT
(Camponotus pennsylvanicus)
Black carpenter ant
- Length: Workers are 5 to 7 mm long, while the queen is 11 to 13 mm long
- Appearance: black in colour, can also be black and red. 6 legs
- Life span: 2 to 6 years
- Habitat: green, moist or dry wood with for example a preference for wood that has been soaked from water leaks.
May hollow out tree trunks. - Diet: sugary foods (honeydew), fat and meat.
The Black carpenter ant digs tunnels which like termites are not visible from the outside. They prefer green or moist wood. The Black carpenter ant doesn’t bite. It is black in colour. The Queen is much larger that the worker, at 11 to 13 cm long.
We can detect its presence by the noise that it makes and from the sawdust of damaged wood. It feeds on the sugary secretions of insects (honeydew), fruit juice, plant juice, but also meat. We can see them appear in Spring, these colonies can live 2 to 6 years.
THE BLACK GARDEN ANT
(Lasius niger)
THE BLACK GARDEN ANT
- Length: Workers are 4 to 5 mm long, while the queen is 15 mm long.
- Appearance: dark brown to black.
- Habitat: Often found on the floor or under paving slabs on the sunny side of buildings.
- Diet: sugary and protein-rich food.
THE ODOROUS HOUSE ANT
(Tapinoma sessile)
THE ODOROUS HOUSE ANT
- Length: Between 1.5 and 3 mm long.
- Appearance: Brown or black.
The antennae are made up of 12 segments and do not have a hook at the end. 6 legs. - Life span: Several years.
- Habitat: Mainly in moist places.
For example in pots of plants or toilet seat covers. - Diet: Mainly feeds on household food, especially sugary foods.
They are found mainly in hot, moist places but also in dry areas. The food may be sugary like fruits, but they can also be found in dog bowls! They are brown in colour and have antennae made up of 12 distinct segments.
PHARAOH ANT
(Monomorium pharaonis)
PHARAOH ANT
- Length: Workers between 1.5 and 2 mm long. The males around 3 mm. The queens from 3.5 to 6 mm.
- Appearance: Workers are a yellowish brown with a brown abdomen, the males are black and winged and the queens are dark red and winged.
- Habitat: They are buried deep in the cavities of heated buildings.
- Diet: meat, fat, blood, dead insects, etc.
They can be usually found next to the heating system. The nests are often buried wherever in hot places, but in general in any place where the temperature is high. They are frequently found in hospitals. Colonies generally have many individuals (between 250,000 to 300, 000). Signs of their presence can often be detected on the heating pipe & ducts or in the vicinity.
