Description
An invasive species that established in Auckland in 1990. These ants are aggressive and territorial. Argentine ant nests cooperate with one another and are known for establishing super colonies. These super colonies can extend hundreds of metres and allow the ant population to grow to massive numbers.
Argentine ants pose a problem to native biodiversity. They compete with our native fauna for food resources such as nectar, pollen and seeds. They will kill other ants, insects and lizards, and may eat bird’s eggs, newly hatched chicks and nesting birds. They may also raid beehives. They are known to bite humans but are not poisonous.
Argentine ants:
- are 2 to 3 millimetres long
- are honey-brown in colour (most other ants seen in New Zealand are black)
- move quickly and with purpose on defined trails
- have a greasy odour when crushed
- are often observed climbing trees
- are often seen moving in large, distinctive trails several ants wide on trees, paths, buildings and lawn edges
- swarm from the ground in large numbers if disturbed.