Exploring Beautiful Ants Around the World
Australian Green Ants
The Australian Green Weaver Ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) is a beautiful iridescent green. Green worker ants build nests from leaves by weaving them together into large elliptical shapes. The leaves are “glued’ together with a silky substance produced by larvae. In order to obtain the silky substance, workers squeeze the larvae with their mandibles.
Pretty Green Australian Weaver Ant
Pot-Belly Honeypot Ants
Honeypot Ants of the genus Myrmecocystus, are found in a variety of arid or semi-arid environments including California. Honeypots get their name from the size of their bellies which looks like they’re filled with honey. Honeypot ants live on insects and the sugary secretions obtained from glands on flowers and other parts of plants. In times of harvest, when food is plentiful, Honeypot ants select certain workers called “repletes??? to store food for future use. The repletes are tucked away in a safe spot away from predators, including humans (Australian Aborigines often supplement their diet with Honeypot ants). Repletes are so fat; they can’t walk and are basically stationary. When a hungry worker needs nourishment, she wanders over to the replete, strokes and prods it a bit and then waits for it to feed her (upchuck a meal). Even though big-bellied repletes provide a food reserve for the colony during hard times, Honeypot ants still practice kleptobiosis (food robbing by some ant species). Honeypots are fast and agile; sometimes acting alone or in small robber packs. They often stop and inspect Harvester ants to see what the Harvesters might be transporting back to their nest.If the Harvester ant is carrying plant material, it is allowed to pass; on the other hand, if it is carrying a termite, it gets robbed. When the Harvester ant tries to bite the Honeypot, the Honeypot is so quick-footed; it’s able to run away, termite and all. Honeypots prey on insects and other arthropods of many kinds but termites are their favorite. Honeypot ants can and will gather termites on their own (without stealing), especially after a rain when termites appear in large numbers, making them easy targets for the honeypot ants.Colorful Ghost Ants
Ghost Ants (Tapinoma melanocephalum) are peculiar in color hard to see; the head and thorax are a deep dark brown but the gaster (abdomen) and legs are an opaque or milky white. These ants are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical areas but their range is expanding having established themselves in Florida and in Hawaii. Sometimes a pest in the northern states, the Ghost ant can only survive in the north if they nest in greenhouses and other heated environments.
Ghost Ants appear translucent and change colors depending on what they eat. These workers are feeding on an apple.
Locations
City Services for Pest Control in Los Angeles
Agoura Hills | Northridge | |
Alhambra | Pacific Palisades | |
Arcadia | Palos Verdes Estates | |
Beverly Hills | Pasadena | |
Burbank | Pomona | |
Calabasas | Rancho Palos Verdes | |
Cerritos | Redondo Beach | |
City of Industry | Reseda | |
City of Los Angeles | Rolling Hills Estates | |
Claremont | San Marino | |
Culver City | Santa Fe Springs | |
Cypress | Santa Monica | |
Diamond Bar | Sherman Oaks | |
El Monte | Sylmar | |
El Segundo | Tarzana | |
Encino | Temple City | |
Glendale | Toluca Lake | |
Granada Hills | Torrance | |
Hacienda Heights | Venice | |
Hidden Hills | Walnut | |
Hollywood | West Covina | |
La Verne | West Hollywood | |
Long Beach | West Los Angeles | |
Malibu | Westlake Village | |
Manhattan Beach | Whittier | |
Marina Del Rey | Woodland Hills | |
North Hollywood | ||
City Services for Pest Control in Orange County
Aliso Viejo | Laguna Hills | |
Anaheim | Laguna Niguel | |
Brea | Lake Forest | |
Buena Park | Los Alamitos | |
Capistrano Beach | Mission Viejo | |
City of Orange | Newport Beach | |
Corona Del Mar | Orange | |
Costa Mesa | Rancho Santa Margarita | |
Dana Point | Rossmoor | |
Fountain Valley | San Clemente | |
Fullerton | San Juan Capistrano | |
Garden Grove | Santa Ana | |
Huntington Beach | Tustin | |
Irvine | Villa Park | |
La Habra | Westminster | |
Laguna Beach | Yorba Linda | |
City Services for Pest Control in San Diego
4S Ranch | Rancho Penasquitos | |
Poway | Scripps Ranch | |
Rancho Bernardo | ||
Descanso | Ramona | |
Julian | Santa Ysabel | |
Pine Valley | ||
Bonsall | Hidden Meadows | |
Escondido | Pauma Valley | |
Fallbrook | Valley Center | |
Carlsbad | Pacific Beach | |
Coronado | Point Loma | |
La Costa | San Ysidro | |
Mira Mesa | The City of San Diego | |
Otay Mesa | ||
Cardiff by the Sea | Oceanside | |
Carmel Valley | Rancho Santa Fe | |
Del Mar | San Marcos | |
Encinitas | Solana Beach | |
La Jolla | Vista | |
Alpine | Imperial Beach | |
Bonita | Jamul | |
Chula Vista | La Mesa | |
East Lake Chula Vista | Lakeside | |
El Cajon | Santee | |
City Services for Pest Control in Ventura
Camarillo | Simi Valley | |
Moorpark | Thousand Oaks | |
City Services for Pest Control in Riverside
Canyon Lake | Norco | |
Chino Hills | Perris | |
Corona | Sun City | |
Eastvale | Temecula | |
Lake Elsinore | The City of Riverside | |
Menifee | Wildomar | |
Moreno Valley | Winchester | |
Murrieta | ||
City Services for Pest Control in San Bernardino
Chino | Ontario | |
Fontana | Rancho Cucamonga | |
Highland | Redlands | |
Loma Linda | Upland | |
Montclair | Yucaipa | |