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Black Ants in nest
Photograph copyright: ozwildlife - all rights reserved. Used with permission.
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Black Ants with large winged female in centre
Photograph copyright: ozwildlife - all rights reserved. Used with permission.
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BLACK ANT FACTS |
Identification
Black Ants are small and black (no surprises there). The males have wings. Females have wings until after mating, when she becomes the reproductive queen ant. Worker ants are sterile and their role is to maintain the nest, gather food and feed the larvae. Soldiers are a also from the worker caste. Black Ants can be a pest around homes, especially when they get into the kitchen. They make long trails from the nest to food sources and can come in to the house under doors, or through cracks round windows. When they are nesting in the house they can sometimes be detected by the mess of black droppings on floors or window sills.
Size
2.5mm - 3mm
Habitat
Common around homes where it can nest around against paths, stone work, cracks and crevices. It can also nest indoors between walls.
Food
Black Ants eat mostly sweet foods but also eat seeds and plants.
Breeding
The queen Black Ant lays small oval eggs. The larvae are fed by the adults when they hatch, and after several moults the larvae pupate.
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Hymenoptera | | Family: | Formicidae | | Genus: | Ochetellus | | Species: | glaber | | Common Name: | Black Ant |
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