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Allegheny Mound Ant
Allegheny Mound Ants
Facts, Identification & Control
Latin Name
Formica exsectoides
Appearance
What do they look like?
- Color: Allegheny mound ants have a reddish head and thorax. The abdomen and legs are dark brown to black.
- Size: The workers vary in size from 3.2 to 6.3 mm.
They do not sting, but they can bite if the mound is disturbed.
How Did I Get Allegheny Ants?
Allegheny ants nest in open areas with plenty of sunshine and construct large mounds made from soil particles they excavate from underground tunnels and bring to the soil surface. Residents with ant mounds in their yards may see the insects crawling inside by accident. Otherwise, these pests rarely enter homes. They feed on other insects and have little or no interest in human food and rarely enter buildings unless acceptable prey insects are located inside.
How Serious Are Allegheny Ants?
Allegheny ant mounds need warmth to survive and practice a very interesting behavior to keep the colony in direct sunlight. Allegheny ants reduce the amount of shade created by plants by stinging and injecting formic acid into nearby plants and trees to strip away all vegetation within 50 feet of the mound. Multiple colonies destroy landscaping and are hard to remove. The ants will bite if threatened.
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