Facts about Argentine ants
Unlike other ant species, Argentine ant colonies cooperate with each other, and can combine over winter into super-colonies. They reach enormous numbers, which means they have a huge appetite. It also makes them more aggressive towards other insect populations through their sheer numbers.
What do they look like?
Face of an Argentine ant
The best way to tell Argentine ants from other ants is by their colour and trails. Argentine ants are small (2-3 mm long) and honey-brown in colour, while most other common household ants in New Zealand are black.
Argentine ants are highly active in searching for food and their trails are often five or more ants wide. Unlike most other ants, they climb trees to get to food sources. Often when people start to notice an ant problem around home where there has not been one in the past, it is due to Argentine ants "moving in".
Did you know that Argentine ants don't smell when squashed?
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