Distribution of the Argentine Ant in America

The argentine ant is a hardy little ant about 1/10th of an inch in size. It is readily adaptable to a wide variety of climates and habitats, and so spreads rapidly from locale to locale. The ant, which originated in Argentina, was first seen in the United States approximately 100 hundred years ago.The ant is known for its rapid breeding, which is the result of multi queen colonies that can survive even after the death of one of the queens, its friendliness towards its own species, and ability to subdue other ant species. The ant is also omnivorous, and can thrive in human habitations.

The Argentine ant has mostly spread along lines of transportation. It entered the US from South America via shipping lines into the port of New Orleans. From there, it spread to large cities along rail transportation roots. From these focal cities, the ant spread to neighboring towns and local urban and rural areas.

The ant is very versatile, demonstrating an ability to live in a variety of environments.

The ant has been found in at least 1/3 of the states, with one large super colony stretching along much of the California coast.

The Argentine ant is, for the most part, warm weather restricted, although it can survive in states such as Missouri, Illinois and Maryland. During the winter, it is not able to live outdoors, in these areas, and migrates into homes to survive. In urban areas the ant can spread from house to house, and thus enlarge its distribution rapidly despite its inability to survive the cold weather.

Because of the insect's multi queen colonies it is to no avail to try and kill them with spray. This will only stimulate the surviving queens to lay more eggs. The Argentine can be best eradicated through the prudent use of ant stations; however the special poisons in the stations do not kill the insects initially. Rather, the ants take the lethal meal back to their colonies where the workers and queens ingest the poison and die. The whole process takes about five days.

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