Color: Dark brown to black; shiny
Legs: 6
Shape: Segmented; oval
Size: 1/16-1/4"
Antennae: True
Argentine ant colonies can grow to monumental size. Their colony borders sometimes cover entire habitats. Argentine ant queens also assist with foraging for food. The ant gives off a musty odor when crushed. Worker argentine ants are about one sixteenth of an inch long. Queen argentine ants are one eighth of an inch to one quarter of an inch long.
Argentine ants deposit trails continuously, instead of just from nest to food source. This habit ensures they do not waste time visiting the same area for food. They prefer to eat sweets but they will eat almost anything including meats, eggs, oils and fats.
Argentine ants do not pose a health threat, but they can contaminate food.
Argentine ant colonies are located in wet environments near a food source.
When in an area where ticks are common, wear long sleeved shirts and pants, preferably light colored so ticks will be easy to detect. Tuck pants into socks. Use a tick repellent. When you return indoors, inspect clothing and skin thoroughly for ticks, including head. Wash clothes immediately.
Argentine ants can bite, but they rarely do so to humans, and their bites are not painful or medically significant. These ants are more of a nuisance pest that invades homes in large numbers searching for food and water, rather than a biting threat.
Argentine ants are not dangerous to humans, as they don't sting or bite, but they can contaminate food sources and become a significant nuisance when they invade homes in large colonies. Their primary threat is to agriculture and native ecosystems rather than human health.
Argentine ants are highly invasive and considered among the world's most problematic invasive species, originally from South America. They form massive supercolonies that displace native ant species and disrupt local ecosystems, and have spread throughout California and other warm regions of the United States.