10 Types of ANTS found in Louisiana!
There are dozens of ant species that live in Louisiana!
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.
10 ANT SPECIES in Louisiana:
#1. Eastern Black Carpenter Ant
- Camponotus pennsylvanicus
- Adults are dull black and have distinctive white or yellowish hairs on their abdomens.
- The largest workers are 0.2-0.6 inches (0.5-1.6 cm) long.
- Non-worker reproductive males and females have wings.
Black Carpenter Ants are one of the most common ants in Louisiana.
You can find them in grasslands, deciduous forests, and urban and suburban areas. As their name suggests, they prefer to build their nests in wood, often using decaying logs, deciduous trees, or wood structures.
Eastern Black Carpenter Ants aren’t picky eaters and feed on other insects, trash, nectar, fruit, and fungi.
These ants are surprisingly long-lived! While reproductive males usually die shortly after mating, workers may live for seven or more years. Queens can live for over ten years.
#2. American Winter Ant
- Prenolepis imparis
- 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 Louisiana!
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).
#3. 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 Louisiana.
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. 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 Louisiana 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).
#5. Chestnut Carpenter Ant
- Camponotus castaneus
- 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 Louisiana 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!
#6. Graceful Twig Ant
- Pseudomyrmex gracilis
- Workers are slender, wasp-like, and up to 0.4 inches (10mm) long.
- They are dark colored on the head and abdomen, while their legs, body, mouth, and antennae are dull orange with dark shading.
- Their midsection or petiole has two segments, and their antennae have 12 segments.
These ants in Louisiana are well known for their painful sting.
The graceful twig ant’s appearance is wasp-like, and its bi-colored pattern may serve as a warning to would-be predators.
These intimidating ants thrive in many habitats, including rainforests, mangroves, fields, and dry forests. Their diet is similarly varied and includes live insects, fungal spores, and honeydew secreted by aphids. They sometimes tend or farm the aphids, keeping them safe so that they continue to produce honeydew.
Graceful twig ants usually nest in existing cavities. They use hollows in plant stalks, dead branches, or twigs. Often, these hollows have been created by other insects like long-horned beetles. Be careful if you come across one. Graceful twig ants quickly swarm and sting anyone who disturbs their nest.
#7. Texas Leafcutter Ant
- Atta texana
- Workers are rust-brown and up to 1/2 inch (12mm) long.
- They have three prominent pairs of spines on their backs.
Texas leafcutter ants are considered major agricultural pests. The workers collect leaves and buds from various plants, including weeds, grasses, and, most notably, citrus trees.
A single colony of these ants in Louisiana can defoliate a tree in less than 24 hours!
You might think the ants eat the leaves themselves, but the truth is much more interesting. Instead, worker ants chew them into a fine paste, which is used to grow massive underground fungus gardens. They carefully manage and tend these fungus gardens so that all members of the colony can feed on the fungus.
It may sound like an odd strategy, but these ants are highly successful. A single mature colony can contain over two million ants! Their nests can reach 15 to 20 feet deep and contain numerous chambers and interconnected passageways.
These colonies are generally easy to find. They’re particularly common in well-drained, sandy, or loamy soil. On the surface of the ground, you’ll find many 5 to 14-inch tall, 1 to 1-1/2 foot diameter dirt or sand mounds with central openings.
#8. Large Imported Big-headed Ant
- Pheidole obscurithorax
- Workers are very large, dark ants.
- They have noticeably enlarged heads, and the first piece of their antennae is long and thick.
- The different colony members have a vast size disparity, with major workers nearly double the size of minor workers.
This ant was first introduced to North America in the 1950s.
It has been much slower to expand its range than other invasive ant species. Large imported big-headed ants typically nest in open, disturbed habitats. Their nests are usually easy to spot, with a large, conspicuous crater of excavated soil around the entrance.
Despite their slow expansion, these ants are tough! Unlike many species, they readily attack fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) and often outcompete them to win food. They’re also voracious predators that will team up to attack and carry large prey like caterpillars back to their nest. There are even some reports that they may try to eat nestling birds!
Despite these aggressive tendencies, large imported big-headed ants are omnivores. In addition to live prey, they also seek seeds and honeydew secreted from insects. If available, they will also feed on fruit, human scraps, and carrion.
#9. Northern Fungus-farming Ant
- Trachymyrmex septentrionalis
- Workers are relatively small and brownish-yellow to medium reddish-brown.
- Their heads are slightly broader than they are long.
- They have rounded abdomens.
Northern forest fungus-farming ants live in open oak and pine woodlands in Louisiana. One of the easiest ways to recognize these ants is to look for their nest. When they excavate soil, they make a pile that forms a crescent shape around half of the nest rather than a circle around the whole nest like most other ants.
Their nest is even more interesting on the inside! This is where the ants do much of their work. Foraging workers bring back pieces of leaves and other plant material, which the ants chew into a paste to feed and maintain a fungus garden.
All of the ants in the colony rely on the fungus as their sole food source.
Scientists believe that these ants play an important role in our forests. Their excavation and fungus farming process brings minerals and nutrients in the soil to the surface, making them accessible to plants, other fungi, and bacteria.
#10. Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA)
- Solenopsis invicta
Also known as fire ants or red ants.
- Adults are usually dark reddish brown.
- Workers measure 0.13 to 0.25 inches (0.32 to 0.64 cm) long.
- They have two nodes at the petiole (waist) and two segmented antennal clubs.
Red Imported Fire Ants are troublesome insects in Louisiana.
A single fire ant can sting repeatedly, and the colony will attack anything that disturbs their nest or food source.
These ants have venom with toxic alkaloids and proteins that can cause burning and swelling. If you are stung by a swarm over a large portion of your body, or if you are allergic or acutely sensitive to RIFA venom, you should seek medical attention as soon as you are stung.
Unsurprisingly, this invasive species is also considered an agricultural and home pest. Colonies can damage crops, injure livestock, and even damage sidewalks. Although they rarely nest indoors, you should call a pest control specialist if you find a colony on your property. Don’t try to eliminate the ants yourself; you will likely be stung!
Although they are mostly a nuisance, Red Imported Fire Ants also have incredible survival skills. For example, they have been observed building rafts as nearby water levels rise to avoid drowning.
Did you like learning about the ants that live in Louisiana?
Check out these ID guides focusing specifically on different insects and arachnids in Louisiana.
- 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 Louisiana?
If so, check out this excellent ID guide!
Which of these ants have you seen in Louisiana?
Leave a comment below!
