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Pest ant species

Here is a list of some of the pest ant species, significant for horticultural and agricultural sectors, also causing serious damages to stored products, invading food processing plants and becoming important pests of the health industry. Moreover, in some parts of theworld they compete with native species, quite often eliminating them.

Anoplolepis gracilipes - Yellow crazy ant (long-legged ant, Maldive ant)

The centre of diversity for the genus is Africa, but it has been introduced into Asia, South America and Australia, onto some Caribbean islands, some Indian Ocean and Pacific islands. It is a village pest, attacks domestic livestock; their formic acid irritates farm workers or recreationalists.

Camponotus modoc – red and black carpenter ant (Florida carpenter ant)

Lives in USA and Canada.

Camponotus nearcticus – smaller carpenter ant

Camponotus pennsylvanicus – big black carpenter ant

Doleromyrma darwiniana - Darwin’s Ant

Endemic to Australia and introduced to New Zealand

Linepithema humile - Argentine ant

Native to Argentina and Brasil, was introduced to southern United States at the end of XIX century.

Monomorium destructor - Singapore ant (destructive trailing ant)

This ant is probably of Indian origin and was introduced into Australasia-Pacific, North America, and South America.

They are known to cause extensive economic damage in urban environments by gnawing holes in fabric and rubber goods, removing rubber insulation from electric and phonelines, and damaging polyethylene cable.

Monomorium pharaonis - Pharaoh ant

It is considered that this ant comes from West Africa or Indonesia, although the clear origin place is unknown. The Pharaoh ant has been introduced almost to every area of the world - Europe, the Americas,A ustralasia and Southeast Asia.

Ochetellus glaber - black house ant

Distributed in Australia, introduced into New Zealand

Paratrechina longicornis - Crazy ant

It is of Asian or African origin but is found in tropical cities worldwide. In the United States the crazy ant can be found from Florida to South Carolina and west to Texas.

Pheidole megacephala - Bigheaded ant

This ant comes from Africa, but is an invasive pest ant in many tropical parts of the world.

Solenopsis geminata -Tropical fire ant

Tropical fire ant is apparently native from southern USA to Guianas, western Amazonia, and coastal Peru. This species inhabits the tropics worldwide.

Solenopsis invicta - Red imported fire ant (fourmi de feu, rote importierte Feuerameise)

The red imported fire ant is native to South America. It has been introduced into parts of Australia, New Zealand, North America, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands.

Tapinoma melanocephalum -Ghost ant

The type location of this speciesis is French Guyana, but T. melanocephalum is a house pest in the tropics all around the world.

Wasmannia auropunctata - electric ant (albayalde, cocoa tree-ant, little fire ant, littleintroduced fire ant, sangunagenta, satanica, West Indian stinging ant, yerba deGuinea)

Native to Central and South America, but has been introduced into parts of Africa, North America and onto some islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean.