Argentine Ants are small ants. They prefer areas with year round mild temperatures. They nest under rocks, pavement, logs, refuse and in holes found in the soil. They always eat honeydew from aphids and scale bugs and also eat small insects. The colony size of the Argentine ant stretches for 6000 Km or 3700 miles wide. Colonies may split in spring and summer when queen and workers move to a new site.
| Common name | Argentine Ants |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Linepithema Humile |
| Size | Worker ants -2 to 3 mm Queen ants -10 to 12 mm |
| Colour | Dark brown to black; shiny |
| Shape | Segmented; oval |
| Habitat | Outdoors in soil, under wood, slabs, debris, mulch, or in branches and cavities of trees and shrubs |
| Life span | Worker ants 6 to 9 months Queen ant upto 7 years. |
LIFE CYCLE:Eggs: Eggs are pearly white in colour and elliptical in shape; they are usually 0.3 mm long by 0.2 mm wide and weigh about 0.02 mg. Their eggs usually hatch in about 28 days, although it can take anywhere from 12 to 55 days.
Larva: Newly hatched larvae are about 0.5 mm long, male larvae can grow to 2.5 mm long. Larvae are white and curved, straightening as they grow. They weigh 0.1 to 0.5 mg. Male and worker larvae are shiny and can be distinguished from the queen larvae.
Pupa:Pupae are naked but their features are visible. All Argentine ants are white after pupation and transition through several shades of cream and brown until they reach a similar adult shade.
Worker pupae are about 2.0 mm long; their head is about 50% of their length, with noticeably visible eyes. Workers pupate for about 20 days.
Male pupae are about 3.0 mm long, with a large thorax. Males pupate for 19 to 28 days.
Queen pupae are much larger than male or worker pupae, with prominent wing pads and proportionate body parts. Queens pupate for 2 to 4 weeks.They develop faster in warmer temperatures. Before they become adults, their legs, mouth parts, and antennae become prominent, worker ants help remove their pupal skin and straighten their body parts.
Adults:After all the 3 stages comes the adult stage. The workers ants are of very small size; 3mm and the queens ants are typically around 10-12mm, and are Dark brown to black; shiny colour.
The life span of worker ants last 6 to 9 months and the Queen ants up to 7 years.
