There are dozens of ant species that live in Kansas!

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.

6 ANT SPECIES in Kansas:

#1. American Winter Ant

Prenolepis imparis

Types of ants in Kansas — Photo by judygva

Adults range from light to dark brown, often with a darker abdomen.
When viewed from the side, they have an hourglass or peanut shape.
The abdomen of worker ants is often large and swollen from reserves when foraging.

The American Winter Ant earned its name for its unique ability to move about and forage in temperatures that send other ants into their nests for shelter. When other ants are foraging in the summer, they usually seal themselves into their nests and enter a hibernation-like state.

They may seem insignificant, but these insects are essential to our forests. Many native wildflowers like bloodroot, trillium, and violets depend on this ant for survival. The plants have a calorie-dense appendage attached to each seed, encouraging the ants to harvest and transport them to a new location.

American Winter Ants can also withstand invasive ant species in Kansas!

This is partially because of their ability to forage at cool temperatures and their defensive capabilities. They are aggressive with other ants and produce abdominal secretions that are lethal to many other ant species, including the invasive Argentine ant (Linepithema humile).

#2. Immigrant Pavement Ant

Tetramorium immigrans

Workers are dark brown to blackish.
They have longitudinal, parallel ridges on their head and thorax.

Immigrant Pavement Ants thrive in urban areas of Kansas. These European natives like building underground nests in areas with little vegetation. Consequently, you’ll often see them nesting near sidewalks, patios, foundations, and pavement.

Each of about 1000 ants defends a territory of around 460 square feet (43 m2). It’s common to see colonies battling for territory boundaries, especially in spring, as new colonies are established. The workers also forage for honeydew excreted by aphids, seeds, insects, fruit, and human food like bread and cheese.

Gardeners may be happy to see immigrant pavement ants around their property since they are significant predators of coddling moth larvae, a major agricultural pest in North America.

#3. Odorous House Ant

Tapinoma sessile

Odorous House Ant (Tapinoma sessile) — Photo by judygva

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 Kansas.

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.

#4. Chestnut Carpenter Ant

Camponotus castaneus

Chestnut Carpenter Ant (Camponotus castaneus) — Photo by judygva

Adult workers are glossy and mostly orangish-red, with darker heads.
They have smooth thoraxes, square heads, and abdomens separated by a single node.

Chestnut carpenter ants are one of the easiest ants in Kansas to identify.

They’re called chestnut or red hazelnut carpenter ants for their rich, orangish-red coloration.

Unlike some ants, chestnut carpenter ants don’t tend to be a nuisance to humans. This is partially because they tend to live in forests and other less populated areas.

These ants like it warm! In the winter, they go into a hibernation-like state in their nest called diapause. They tend to enter this state during the first cool days of fall, much earlier than other ant species. Interestingly, colonies may still go into diapause in the southern parts of their range, like Florida, where it stays relatively warm year-round.

Chestnut carpenter ants have long lifespans once a colony is established. Individual workers can live for several years, and queens can live for over a decade!

#5. 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 Kansas.

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).

#6. Western Harvester Ant

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

Western Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) — Photo by xpda

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 Kansas 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.

Did you like learning about the ants that live in Kansas?

Check out these ID guides focusing specifically on different insects and arachnids in Kansas.

Do you need additional help identifying ants in Kansas?

If so, check out this excellent ID guide!

National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects of North America

6 Types of ANTS found in Kansas!