Pest Library

Characteristics

The big-headed ant got its name from their workers who have big heads. They have two types of workers. The small workers are just 2/25 inch while the major workers, which act as the soldier for the colony, have a disproportionately large head and are 4/25 inch in length. Both minor and major workers have a yellowish-brown or reddish-brown or an almost black coloration.

Habitat

The big-headed ant can nest under rocks, logs, cement slabs, flower pots timbers in backyards. They are also common in forests and in sandy soil where their natural habitat is. They do not normally nest inside homes, but they can enter homes in search for food.

The big-headed ant is a soil-nesting ant that creates a mound entrance at its nest. When they create their nest, they will leave foraging trails that are similar to shelter tubes or mud tubes of termites. Their nests have different openings that are close to one another. They can create multiple nests that are interconnected with one another, managed by more than one queen, thus creating mega colonies.

Behavior

They have two types of workers, which are the minor workers and the major workers. The major workers are not as many as the minor ones, but they play an important role in the colony as the defender, soldiers, and provider of strength for the colony.

Their colony is made of queens, minor and major workers. The colony has many queens that can lay hundreds of eggs to create colonies, sub colonies and mega colonies. The minor workers are responsible for feeding the colony. They take care and feed the immature ants, and create the nest. Their population is also bigger than the major workers. The major workers responsibility is to defend the colony and to carry foods that are too big for the minor ants to carry. They can also crack seeds and other foods that are difficult to open for the colony with the use of their large jaws.

Food

These ants are omnivorous creatures. They are scavengers and may go inside a home in search for meat, oily foods, sugary substances, and so on. When they are outdoors, they will feed on seeds, dead insects and small vertebrates, and even other ant species if they have the chance.

Life Cycle

The colony of this ant is made of many fertile queens that can lay broods all-year round. A single queen can lay 300 eggs each month that will be taken care of the minor ants. It will take two to four weeks for the larvae to hatch, and another month for the eggs to become pupae. The new workers will just have between 38 to 78 days to live once they become adults, however, the continuous cycle of creating new workers will just compensate for the short lifespan of these workers.

Other Information and Tips

Although these ants prefer to stay outdoors, they can also get indoors. They are identified as pests when they forage indoors because of their relentless and vigilant behavior. The sandy piles of trails that they create when they forage for food can be seen when they enter home structure or along the exteriors of homes. To stop these ants from foraging in homes, make sure to:

• Check and control possible infestation on pot plants, gardening supplies, etc.
• Maintain a clean kitchen.
• Be vigilant about the goods or foods being transported at homes.
• If nests are found, treat the nests with proper hydramethylon based granular bait.
• Call a pest control specialist for infestations.

Photo by Sarefo (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons / resized from original