9 Types of ANTS found in Arizona!
There are dozens of ant species that live in Arizona!
Trying to list them all would be impossible. 🙂
Below are the most common and abundant types of ants, which are part of the insect family Formicidae.
9 ANT SPECIES in Arizona:
#1. Odorous House Ant
- Tapinoma sessile
- Adult workers are usually a uniform color ranging from brown to black.
- They have a distinct rotten odor when crushed.
Odorous house ants are incredibly widespread because they can adapt to nearly any habitat in North America. They tolerate various habitats from sea level to 13,000 feet (4000 m) of elevation and occupy urban areas, forests, grasslands, bogs, and sandy coastal areas.
These ants are also commonly seen in homes in Arizona.
And they aren’t just searching for a comfortable place to live; odorous house ants love sweets! In the wild, they tend to feed on aphid honeydew and flower nectar, but they will gladly take advantage of human food when available.
They often nest outside on stumps, rocks, matted grass, and other debris but use cracks and termite-damaged wood found in homes. Interestingly, these nests aren’t stationary.
Odorous house ants tend to move their nests about every 21 days. They also tend to coexist peacefully with other ant species rather than strictly defend a territory.
#2. Dark Rover Ant
- Brachymyrmex patagonicus
- Adult workers are very small and uniformly brown.
- Their antennae have nine segments.
- They have relatively large eyes and long hairs on their backs.
Native to South America, the dark rover ant made its way north in the 1970s. Dark rover ants are often considered a nuisance species because they build nests in gardens or homes. In urban areas, it’s common for them to use mulch and manufactured structures to build nests. In hot, dry climates, these ants tend to be drawn to the moisture in kitchens and bathrooms. Thankfully, they don’t bite, sting, or carry any diseases.
These ants have spread into Arizona because they sometimes form “supercolonies.”
Rather than have a single nest with one queen, occasionally, a colony will form multiple nests, sometimes with hundreds of reproductive queens.
Additionally, dark rover ants peaceably coexist with other native and introduced species, including those usually intolerant of other ants. They also help control another invasive species, the cactus moth (Cactoblastis cactorum).
#3. Longhorn Crazy Ant
- Paratrechina longicornis
- The workers are grayish-black or brownish-black.
- They have pale brown legs and long, 12-segmented antennae.
- They have numerous coarse hairs on their body and a small circle of hair on the tip of their abdomen.
This may be the most widespread ant species in Arizona and even the world!
Longhorn crazy ants are originally native to the tropics but easily adapt and make themselves at home in disturbed areas, urban areas, and inside buildings.
They are called crazy ants because of their erratic movement patterns. Rather than traveling in straight lines like many ant species, these ants rush around with seemingly no pattern or direction.
Part of their success in spreading worldwide may be due to their varied omnivorous diet. Longhorn crazy ants will feed on seeds, plant sap, fruit, dead insects, honeydew secretions from aphids and other insects, and human household scraps and waste.
Thankfully, these ants don’t pose any threat to humans. However, they can bite enemies to defend the colony and bend their abdomens to aim and shoot formic acid at them.
#4. Red Harvester Ant
- Pogonomyrmex barbatus
- Workers vary from light to dark red.
- They have broad, boxy heads with hairs on their undersides and 12-segmented antennae.
- Their waists are divided into two parts.
Red harvester ants are often mistaken for fire ants in Arizona.
And although they are a different species, they still have a painful sting, so you’re smart to stay away from them. However, unlike carnivorous fire ants, their diet is 90% seeds and grains.
They return these to the nest, make them into a bread-like substance using their mandibles, and store them in the colony’s granary. They also consume other insects for protein.
In natural settings, they can be incredibly beneficial. They help disperse plant seeds, improve soil fertility, and feed on other pests, such as termites, ticks, screwworm larvae, and crop pests. Unfortunately, their habit of eating seeds can also spell trouble for farmers when they feed on pasture grasses and crops like corn and oats.
Unfortunately, their nesting habits are also detrimental to plant life. Red harvester ants prefer to nest in open areas, so they kill all the vegetation around the mound, leaving a bare patch of earth up to 110 square feet (10 square meters).
#5. Rough Harvester Ant
- Pogonomyrmex rugosus
- Workers vary from dark red to brown or black but are uniformly darker than other harvester ants.
- They have many lines and punctures on their heads and bodies, giving them a rough texture.
- Their antennae have twelve segments.
Also known as the desert harvester ant, this ant mainly inhabits dry landscapes in Arizona. You can find them in grasslands, deserts, and scrublands.
Rough harvester ants form large, crater-like mounds at the entrance to their nest.
Their colonies grow large and may include up to 15,000 workers. These workers use the same trails when leaving the nest, creating noticeable, permanent pathways.
Like other harvester ant species, they primarily feed on grains and seeds. However, unlike other harvester ants, rough harvesters usually aren’t agricultural pests. This is partly due to their habitat, which isn’t ideal for growing crops.
#6. Black Harvester Ant
- Veromessor pergandei
- Workers are shiny, dark brown, or black.
- Their heads are as wide as they are long and have large, conspicuous mandibles.
- They have short white or yellow hairs on their heads, bodies, and legs.
Black harvester ants thrive in the hottest, most arid regions in Arizona.
One of the easiest ways to find them is to look for their huge chaff piles. These chaff piles are made from husks and extra material from processing grains and seeds, which are the ants’ primary food source.
Harvester ants are often viewed negatively. However, they do have some incredible benefits. Their chaff piles and “trash dumps” frequently provide homes for other insects like beetles that scavenge them.
Additionally, the outer rings of their nest areas are also some of the most fertile land in their harsh habitat. The extra nutrients and decreased competition that result from the ants’ activity give vegetation in this area an advantage. For example, after a wildfire, the nest rim vegetation is often the first to recover and helps recolonize the rest of the area.
Black harvester ants also don’t tend to be major crop pests. They feed primarily on wild plants like perennial shrubs, creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), and burro weed (Ambrosia dumosa).
#7. Western Harvester Ant
- Pogonomyrmex occidentalis
- Workers are dark red and slightly shiny.
- They display significant texture on their heads and thoraxes.
- They have boxy heads with 12 segmented antennae.
Western harvester ant colonies in Arizona may last up to 40 years!
They inhabit arid regions like high-elevation grasslands, sagebrush, and forests and always select nest sites in open areas.
One feature that sets western harvester ants apart is their conspicuous nests. These ants construct large gravel mounds and remove the vegetation around them. You can spot the nests from aerial photographs! And these hills aren’t just for looks: choosing sites in open areas and removing the vegetation around the nest keeps them from burning during wildfires.
Don’t get too close, though. Mature colonies contain about 20,000 workers and will aggressively defend the nest, delivering painful stings.
#8. Western Black Carpenter Ant
- Camponotus modoc
- Workers are dull black with dark red legs.
- Workers may be up to 0.5 inches long (13 mm).
- They have golden hairs that are most abundant on their abdomens.
Western black carpenter ants are usually found in forested areas in Arizona.
They seem especially fond of coniferous forests but will also use aspen and hardwood forests.
They’re called carpenter ants because they usually make their nests in dead wood, such as stumps and rotting logs, especially those with some bark attached.
Unfortunately for humans, this predisposition to wood means they may damage homes in forested areas, especially log or wood homes. They can be especially troublesome because they form massive colonies, sometimes containing 50,000 workers. That many ants can certainly cause damage to a cabin or house!
#9. Southern Fire Ant
- Solenopsis xyloni
- Workers typically have a red head and upper body and a black abdomen, but occasionally, they may be uniformly dark brown.
- Workers may be up to 0.25 inches long (6 mm).
Historically, southern fire ants were the most common fire ant species in Arizona.
However, the spread of red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) has significantly reduced their populations. This is unfortunate for humans as the red imported fire ant has a much more painful sting.
Southern fire ants build smaller, inconspicuous mounds that you may not notice. However, don’t mistake these for harmless ant nests. Southern fire ant workers will swarm out of the nest to defend the colony if disturbed.
They grab their attackers by biting them before delivering a painful sting. There’s a lot of them, too. Mature colonies can contain thousands of workers.
Did you like learning about the ants that live in Arizona?
Check out these ID guides focusing specifically on different insects and arachnids in Arizona.
- MOST Common Insects
- Butterflies
- Wasps & Hornets
- Dragonflies
- Bees
- Ladybugs
- Moths
- Stink Bugs
- Cockroaches
- Caterpillars
- Spiders
- Millipedes & Centipedes
- Scorpions
- Ticks
- Grasshoppers
Do you need additional help identifying ants in Arizona?
If so, check out this excellent ID guide!
Which of these ants have you seen in Arizona?
Leave a comment below!
