Encounter with Argentine Ants!

My two youngest sons and I were recently at a car wash vacuuming out all the damage a family of 6 can do to a van!  My 4 year old needs to visit the restroom, and unfortunately, it wasn't going to be a quick visit!  Once in the restroom, we start to notice something on the walls.  It was ants, and they were all over the bathroom!  Along the walls, in the sink, on the door, everywhere.  So, I'm trying to hurry my son along while trying to keep my 2 year old from leaning up against the walls or sitting all over the floor.  I certainly didn't want these ants to hitch a ride back to our van with us!  I did manage to have a little photo shoot with the ants.  We believe these were Argentine ants.




Ants in sink

Ant trail along the wall



Closeup of one of the trails

Argentine ants are native to Argentina, but have spread globally, especially in Mediterranean climates with mild winters and moderate to high humidity.  They prefer moisture rich locations and can be found in a variety of places such as shallow mounds in the ground, in cracks in concrete walls, under debris such as logs and mulch, and in decaying tree cavities.  They will often invade homes looking for food.  They are light to dark brown and small in size (2-3 mm).  Argentine ants travel in distinctive trails along sidewalks, up sides of buildings, along branches of trees, etc.  The ants in the restroom were in definite lines along the walls as seen above.

The Argentine ant species is one of the most persistent and troublesome house infesting ant species.  They live in large colonies that consist of several nests and queens, all interacting together.  This allows them to cover a large area, often displacing other ant species and insects.  This in turn often disrupts the ecosystem of the infested area.  Unlike other ant species, Argentine ants do not swarm to mate.  Instead, they mate within the colony, continuing its growth.



Close up of Argentine ants: photo credit L. Brian Stauffer; www.illinois.edu