Don't know about you, but this time of year my home gets raided by ants. I decided to try to identify them this year, especially since I was invaded by a different species this year. Most years I have this really tiny ant that comes up through the walls in my kitchen and finds anything sweet that it can eat. I believe this ant may be in the Brachymyrmex genus (I won't be so bold as to try to identify to species!!!), also called a Rover Ant. It is a tiny ant, and all of the ants are the same size. It is a bit difficult for me to say for certain, as identification of ants - keys or no - is not an easy task. According to a couple of sources, Brachymyrmex patagonicus is spreading. So, that is what I think that one is.
It seems to have been displaced this year by another species. This one, I believe, is a native ant, a native Solenopsis, a fire ant. It started coming in to take pieces of the seeds left underneath the bird cages. Then is started coming up behind the stove and now it is coming up through the cabinets by the sink. Persistent little bugger!!!
Well, its a bummer to have them in my house, but they are pretty cool insects. It has a pretty good bite, but not as bad as a pogy! It has, up until now, been a rather unobtrusive denizen of my back (and front) yard, but decided for some reason this year to invade. The habit of seed harvesting is a cool adaptation to desert life.
No comments:
Post a Comment