I know that a lot of you complain about Argentine ants and other 'foreign' pests, but I confess to having a sneaking admiration for any animal that can move into new digs, compete with the locales, and thrive despite all our disdain and best efforts to get rid of it. Florida is currently 'hosting' a relatively new ant species known locally as the white-footed ant, that strikes me as having some very interesting habits as well as providing the opportunity to follow a potentially bad future pest problem from its infancy. Following is some info I've found on these ants. If anyone can provide more, especially on their unusual method of reproduction, I'd sure like to see it!
from the Hendry County Extension Office:
'Hendry County Horticulture News
White-footed Ants - Our Newest Home Pest
Most Floridians have probably ceased to marvel at the many types of ants that may be found in and around the home from time to time. The newest ant to invade Florida is the white-footed ant, Technomyrmex albipes. In 1990, an entomologist collected, and later identified white-footed ants foraging for donut crumbs while he was attending a meeting in Miami.
The white-footed ant is native to the Okinawa, and several islands around Japan where it inhabits dry grasslands and forest margins. The species has spread throughout the tropics and subtropical areas and is now found in Asia, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Florida and Hawaii. During the past few years, reports of white-footed ants infesting homes in south Florida have increased considerably.
Fortunately, white-footed ants do not bite or sting, nor have they been reported to cause any type of structural damage. They exist in very large colonies made up of several hundred thousand individuals and due to their numbers may become a nuisance to homeowners.
The white-footed ant is a relatively small (< 3 mm in length), black to brownish-black ant with yellowish-white tibia and tarsi (feet) and a one-segmented waist. At first glance they may look similar to some of the other small ant species that are attracted to sweets.
The white-footed ant has an unusual life cycle. There are two morphologically different forms of males and females, and each disperses from the mother colony in different ways. Winged females who mate with winged males during a mating flight found new colonies. Winged females die about 400 days after starting a colony. The queen is then replaced by a wingless daughter that mates with a wingless male who is capable of multiple matings. The wingless reproductives look very much like workers. The reproductive potential of the multiple queen white-footed ant society is much greater than that of other ant species that have single queens.
In addition, white-footed ants can initiate new colonies by budding. Budding is a process where many workers and a mated, wingless female leaves the mother nest and crawl some distance to start a new colony.
White-footed ants are strongly attracted to sweets. Typically, white-footed ants show up at food sources in large numbers, resulting in easily observed foraging trails leading to and from the food.
Workers of many related sweet-feeding ants, such as the ghost ant ingest food and bring it back to the nest where it is shared with others. This is why baits are so effective on these species. White-footed ants are unusual in that food is not shared with others. Therefore toxic baits affect only those ants that directly contact and ingest baits.
In Florida, white-footed ants can be found outside under loose bark, within natural or artificially created cavities in the stem, in rotten trunks or limbs, and in galleries created at one time by termites. In addition, white-footed ants have been observed nesting in attics, under roof shingles, in wall voids, in cardboard boxes, in the petiole bases of palms, under leaf litter, in compost piles, under rocks, along fence lines, and in outdoor furniture. Many other damp locations may serve as suitable nest sites for this species.
Although a colony may be made up of a million individuals, they usually do not all nest in one location. Colonies tend to be "spread out" as interconnected satellite colonies. Therefore, ants within the same colony may be found nesting at several locations around a structure. Nesting sites usually contain eggs, the developing offspring, and pupae as well as adult ants.'
from the pestproducts site:
'WHITE-FOOTED ANT
White-footed Ant History/Range of Distribution
When first collected and identified in the Homestead, Florida area in 1986, the white footed ant was considered only of minor importance for the pest control industry. This tiny ant has now become quite a nuisance in at least 8 Florida counties, 3 of which are waiting for official confirmation. Originating in certain areas of Japan (Okinawa, Iriomote, southern Kyushu and Nansei Islands,) they were first accidentally imported into Florida.
White-footed ants have been confirmed in the following Florida counties:
Dade, Broward, Collier, Palm Beach, Orange and Sarasota
These ants have been reported (but not officially confirmed) in:
Martin and St. Lucie Counties, Florida.
Since attempts to eradicate this pest have fallen short of their mark, we can expect to see them slowly migrate. If you believe that you have encountered white footed ants, place several specimen in a vial of alcohol and send them to:
John Warner
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Florida
Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center
3205 College Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA 33314
Biology/Colony Structure
White-footed ants do not bite or sting, nor have they been reported to cause any type of structural damage. They are, however, attracted to sweet foods. Thus, it is common to find them foraging indoors and outside on hedges infested with honey-dew producing insects such as aphids and scales.
Several biological aspects of the white footed ant make a difficult pest to control, almost impossible to totally eliminate from an infested home:
Huge size (in population) of ant colonies.
Tremendous reproduction capabilities (through budding and swarming.)
Variety of food preferences.
Tiny body size enables entry to most structures, natural and man-made.
Nests (or ant beds) in a wide variety of areas, all connected and part of super colony.
Not all foods are shared from foraging workers to larvae (making ant baits ineffective.)
Sterile workers lay unfertilized eggs; this is food for non-foraging members of the ant colony.
Estimations vary, but most agree that the average number of ants in a white-footed ant colony will range from 400,000 to well over 1 million ants. The sheer size of these colonies puts food at a premium; these pests must forage over a wide range and feed on several food sources. Colonies tend to be "spread out" as interconnected satellite colonies.
Approximately one half of the colony is made up of sterile, female workers. These worker ants forage for food, are responsible for brood care, and nest maintenance. The other half of the white-footed ant colony is made up of "intercastes." These are wingless males and females, that in addition to the founding king and queen, mate and lay fertile eggs. Thus, the reproductive potential of the multiple queen white-footed ant society is much greater than that of many other ant species.
Like many other ants, white-footed ant colonies produce winged males and females which, at certain times of the year, leave their nest to start new colonies. This is called "swarming." Winged females who mate with winged males during a mating flight found new colonies. Winged males mate once before they die. Winged females die about 400 days after starting a colony. The queen is then replaced by a wingless daughter that mates with a wingless male who is capable of multiple matings.
In addition, white-footed ants can initiate new colonies by budding. Budding is a process where many workers and wingless reproductive males and females leave the mother nest and crawl some distance to start a new colony. The wingless reproductives look very much like workers, and in many cases cannot be distinguished from sterile workers by external appearance. These worker look-alikes, called intercastes, make up almost 50% of a colony. Thus, mass movements of white-footed ants carrying their whitish-colored larvae and pupae may be observed during the budding process.
Feeding Habits
Workers of many sweet-feeding ants, such as the ghost ant, ingest liquefied food and carry it within their crop (first of three stomachs) back to the nest. Within the nest, workers regurgitate this food and share it with members of the colony that never leave the nest, such as workers tending offspring, the queen, and the developing brood.
This is why baits are so effective with certain other ant species, but not on white-footed ants: a worker ingests toxic food and takes it back to the nest where it is shared with others. As you will see, with...White-Footed Ants, baits only effect about half of the colony.
Even with only half the colony feeding on food outside the nests, this large population obviously needs a great deal of food to survive. One of their preferred foods is dead insects. White-footed ants are strongly attracted to sweet foods but have been observed in the laboratory feeding on termites and dead cockroaches. Sources of sugar can be found at many locations within structures and in the surrounding landscape. Indoor locations include the recycle bin, the kitchen, pantry, and wherever else food is stored, consumed or prepared. Outdoors, sugary food sources are found at extrafloral nectaries, within flowers, at wounds in trees, and as honeydew (excrement from sap sucking insects such as aphids and mealy bugs). With all of these potential food sources available, it is common to find white-footed ants foraging indoors and outside. Typically, white-footed ants show up at food sources in large numbers, resulting in easily observed foraging trails leading to and from the food. Most foraging occurs at night during the summer, but may be at any time of the day when temperatures moderate.
White footed ants will protect and feed on aphids and scales which attack certain ornamental plants. Not only do they feed on these plant pests, but will actually nurture them, collecting and feeding on sweet honey-dew produced by aphids. This behavior has been observed in other ant species as well. The alarming aspect of this behavior in white-footed ants is the abnormally large supply of food needed by the colony. This "farming" of plant pests can put your ornamentals at great risk.
White-footed ants are unusual in that food ingested by foraging workers is not regurgitated, nor is it shared with others. The sterile workers of the white-footed ant are capable of laying unfertilized eggs. These eggs, called trophic eggs, are sterile, and are thinner and more fragile than fertile eggs. Trophic eggs are fed to adults within the colony that are not actively foraging and also to the developing offspring. Therefore, toxic baits affect only those members of the colony that directly ingest baits. Baits are not shared with the other half of the colony.
Nesting Habits
White-footed ant nests have been observed in many locations in the landscape, and in the home. In Japan, favored nest sites are within old trees. In Florida, trees also serve as an ideal nesting location. White-footed ants can be found under loose bark, within natural or artificially created cavities in the stem, in rotten trunks or limbs, and in galleries created at one time by termites. In addition, white-footed ants have been observed nesting in attics, under roof shingles, in wall voids, in cardboard boxes, in the petiole bases of palms, under leaf litter, in compost piles, under rocks, along fence lines, and in outdoor furniture. Many other damp locations may serve as suitable nest sites for this species.
Although a colony may be made up of a million individuals, they usually do not all nest in one location. Colonies tend to be spread out as interconnected satellite colonies. Therefore, ants within the same colony may be found nesting at several locations around a structure. Nesting sites usually contain eggs, the developing offspring, and pupae as well as adult ants.
Identification
This small (about 1/8 inch or 3 mm long) ant is easily confused with Crazy ants and Odorous House Ants if not properly identified. Although the body of the white-footed ant closely resembles that of the crazy ant, its legs and first segment of its antennae are much shorter. This ant's body color is darker than that of the odorous house ant. The white-footed ant (which has one node) has one distinguishing characteristic which sets apart from similar ants: the tarsi (section at the end of the legs) are a very light yellow or yellowish white in color. This gives it the appearance of having "white feet," hence its name.'
from the Hendry County Extension Office:
'Hendry County Horticulture News
White-footed Ants - Our Newest Home Pest
Most Floridians have probably ceased to marvel at the many types of ants that may be found in and around the home from time to time. The newest ant to invade Florida is the white-footed ant, Technomyrmex albipes. In 1990, an entomologist collected, and later identified white-footed ants foraging for donut crumbs while he was attending a meeting in Miami.
The white-footed ant is native to the Okinawa, and several islands around Japan where it inhabits dry grasslands and forest margins. The species has spread throughout the tropics and subtropical areas and is now found in Asia, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Florida and Hawaii. During the past few years, reports of white-footed ants infesting homes in south Florida have increased considerably.
Fortunately, white-footed ants do not bite or sting, nor have they been reported to cause any type of structural damage. They exist in very large colonies made up of several hundred thousand individuals and due to their numbers may become a nuisance to homeowners.
The white-footed ant is a relatively small (< 3 mm in length), black to brownish-black ant with yellowish-white tibia and tarsi (feet) and a one-segmented waist. At first glance they may look similar to some of the other small ant species that are attracted to sweets.
The white-footed ant has an unusual life cycle. There are two morphologically different forms of males and females, and each disperses from the mother colony in different ways. Winged females who mate with winged males during a mating flight found new colonies. Winged females die about 400 days after starting a colony. The queen is then replaced by a wingless daughter that mates with a wingless male who is capable of multiple matings. The wingless reproductives look very much like workers. The reproductive potential of the multiple queen white-footed ant society is much greater than that of other ant species that have single queens.
In addition, white-footed ants can initiate new colonies by budding. Budding is a process where many workers and a mated, wingless female leaves the mother nest and crawl some distance to start a new colony.
White-footed ants are strongly attracted to sweets. Typically, white-footed ants show up at food sources in large numbers, resulting in easily observed foraging trails leading to and from the food.
Workers of many related sweet-feeding ants, such as the ghost ant ingest food and bring it back to the nest where it is shared with others. This is why baits are so effective on these species. White-footed ants are unusual in that food is not shared with others. Therefore toxic baits affect only those ants that directly contact and ingest baits.
In Florida, white-footed ants can be found outside under loose bark, within natural or artificially created cavities in the stem, in rotten trunks or limbs, and in galleries created at one time by termites. In addition, white-footed ants have been observed nesting in attics, under roof shingles, in wall voids, in cardboard boxes, in the petiole bases of palms, under leaf litter, in compost piles, under rocks, along fence lines, and in outdoor furniture. Many other damp locations may serve as suitable nest sites for this species.
Although a colony may be made up of a million individuals, they usually do not all nest in one location. Colonies tend to be "spread out" as interconnected satellite colonies. Therefore, ants within the same colony may be found nesting at several locations around a structure. Nesting sites usually contain eggs, the developing offspring, and pupae as well as adult ants.'
from the pestproducts site:
'WHITE-FOOTED ANT
White-footed Ant History/Range of Distribution
When first collected and identified in the Homestead, Florida area in 1986, the white footed ant was considered only of minor importance for the pest control industry. This tiny ant has now become quite a nuisance in at least 8 Florida counties, 3 of which are waiting for official confirmation. Originating in certain areas of Japan (Okinawa, Iriomote, southern Kyushu and Nansei Islands,) they were first accidentally imported into Florida.
White-footed ants have been confirmed in the following Florida counties:
Dade, Broward, Collier, Palm Beach, Orange and Sarasota
These ants have been reported (but not officially confirmed) in:
Martin and St. Lucie Counties, Florida.
Since attempts to eradicate this pest have fallen short of their mark, we can expect to see them slowly migrate. If you believe that you have encountered white footed ants, place several specimen in a vial of alcohol and send them to:
John Warner
Graduate Research Assistant
University of Florida
Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center
3205 College Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA 33314
Biology/Colony Structure
White-footed ants do not bite or sting, nor have they been reported to cause any type of structural damage. They are, however, attracted to sweet foods. Thus, it is common to find them foraging indoors and outside on hedges infested with honey-dew producing insects such as aphids and scales.
Several biological aspects of the white footed ant make a difficult pest to control, almost impossible to totally eliminate from an infested home:
Huge size (in population) of ant colonies.
Tremendous reproduction capabilities (through budding and swarming.)
Variety of food preferences.
Tiny body size enables entry to most structures, natural and man-made.
Nests (or ant beds) in a wide variety of areas, all connected and part of super colony.
Not all foods are shared from foraging workers to larvae (making ant baits ineffective.)
Sterile workers lay unfertilized eggs; this is food for non-foraging members of the ant colony.
Estimations vary, but most agree that the average number of ants in a white-footed ant colony will range from 400,000 to well over 1 million ants. The sheer size of these colonies puts food at a premium; these pests must forage over a wide range and feed on several food sources. Colonies tend to be "spread out" as interconnected satellite colonies.
Approximately one half of the colony is made up of sterile, female workers. These worker ants forage for food, are responsible for brood care, and nest maintenance. The other half of the white-footed ant colony is made up of "intercastes." These are wingless males and females, that in addition to the founding king and queen, mate and lay fertile eggs. Thus, the reproductive potential of the multiple queen white-footed ant society is much greater than that of many other ant species.
Like many other ants, white-footed ant colonies produce winged males and females which, at certain times of the year, leave their nest to start new colonies. This is called "swarming." Winged females who mate with winged males during a mating flight found new colonies. Winged males mate once before they die. Winged females die about 400 days after starting a colony. The queen is then replaced by a wingless daughter that mates with a wingless male who is capable of multiple matings.
In addition, white-footed ants can initiate new colonies by budding. Budding is a process where many workers and wingless reproductive males and females leave the mother nest and crawl some distance to start a new colony. The wingless reproductives look very much like workers, and in many cases cannot be distinguished from sterile workers by external appearance. These worker look-alikes, called intercastes, make up almost 50% of a colony. Thus, mass movements of white-footed ants carrying their whitish-colored larvae and pupae may be observed during the budding process.
Feeding Habits
Workers of many sweet-feeding ants, such as the ghost ant, ingest liquefied food and carry it within their crop (first of three stomachs) back to the nest. Within the nest, workers regurgitate this food and share it with members of the colony that never leave the nest, such as workers tending offspring, the queen, and the developing brood.
This is why baits are so effective with certain other ant species, but not on white-footed ants: a worker ingests toxic food and takes it back to the nest where it is shared with others. As you will see, with...White-Footed Ants, baits only effect about half of the colony.
Even with only half the colony feeding on food outside the nests, this large population obviously needs a great deal of food to survive. One of their preferred foods is dead insects. White-footed ants are strongly attracted to sweet foods but have been observed in the laboratory feeding on termites and dead cockroaches. Sources of sugar can be found at many locations within structures and in the surrounding landscape. Indoor locations include the recycle bin, the kitchen, pantry, and wherever else food is stored, consumed or prepared. Outdoors, sugary food sources are found at extrafloral nectaries, within flowers, at wounds in trees, and as honeydew (excrement from sap sucking insects such as aphids and mealy bugs). With all of these potential food sources available, it is common to find white-footed ants foraging indoors and outside. Typically, white-footed ants show up at food sources in large numbers, resulting in easily observed foraging trails leading to and from the food. Most foraging occurs at night during the summer, but may be at any time of the day when temperatures moderate.
White footed ants will protect and feed on aphids and scales which attack certain ornamental plants. Not only do they feed on these plant pests, but will actually nurture them, collecting and feeding on sweet honey-dew produced by aphids. This behavior has been observed in other ant species as well. The alarming aspect of this behavior in white-footed ants is the abnormally large supply of food needed by the colony. This "farming" of plant pests can put your ornamentals at great risk.
White-footed ants are unusual in that food ingested by foraging workers is not regurgitated, nor is it shared with others. The sterile workers of the white-footed ant are capable of laying unfertilized eggs. These eggs, called trophic eggs, are sterile, and are thinner and more fragile than fertile eggs. Trophic eggs are fed to adults within the colony that are not actively foraging and also to the developing offspring. Therefore, toxic baits affect only those members of the colony that directly ingest baits. Baits are not shared with the other half of the colony.
Nesting Habits
White-footed ant nests have been observed in many locations in the landscape, and in the home. In Japan, favored nest sites are within old trees. In Florida, trees also serve as an ideal nesting location. White-footed ants can be found under loose bark, within natural or artificially created cavities in the stem, in rotten trunks or limbs, and in galleries created at one time by termites. In addition, white-footed ants have been observed nesting in attics, under roof shingles, in wall voids, in cardboard boxes, in the petiole bases of palms, under leaf litter, in compost piles, under rocks, along fence lines, and in outdoor furniture. Many other damp locations may serve as suitable nest sites for this species.
Although a colony may be made up of a million individuals, they usually do not all nest in one location. Colonies tend to be spread out as interconnected satellite colonies. Therefore, ants within the same colony may be found nesting at several locations around a structure. Nesting sites usually contain eggs, the developing offspring, and pupae as well as adult ants.
Identification
This small (about 1/8 inch or 3 mm long) ant is easily confused with Crazy ants and Odorous House Ants if not properly identified. Although the body of the white-footed ant closely resembles that of the crazy ant, its legs and first segment of its antennae are much shorter. This ant's body color is darker than that of the odorous house ant. The white-footed ant (which has one node) has one distinguishing characteristic which sets apart from similar ants: the tarsi (section at the end of the legs) are a very light yellow or yellowish white in color. This gives it the appearance of having "white feet," hence its name.'
Good find.
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