Did you know it is estimated over 12,000 species of ants crawl this planet? It’s true and about 200 species of ants call California home.

The most common ant in California is the Argentine ant but it is not indigenous to The Golden State. The Argentine ant is native to southern South America; like many other species of pests, the ant was unintentionally brought to Europe, Australia, Hawaii, and of course, North America.

These ants are one of the world’s worst invaders and part of that is because of their ant mega-colonies. It is believed there is a huge colony in California stretching for 560 miles; this colony is often referred to as Californian large. Ant mega-colonies have become a major issue because they often attack crops and affect animal populations.

For instance, Argentine ants may be responsible for the decline in the coast horned lizards in California. Argentine ants dine of several species of ants that primarily make up the diet of these lizards. The large number of ants belonging to the Argentine ant mega-colonies just devour the ants needed to sustain the coast horned lizard population.

Basic facts about Argentine ants:

• Dark colored
• Worker ants are just 3 millimeters long and queen ants vary from six to 12 millimeters in length
• Prefer sweets including fresh fruit
• Crawl quickly in clear-cut trails
• Possibility of millions of ants per colony

Argentine ants seek refuge in houses and buildings because they are looking for food and/or water or they may be seeking shelter after a heavy rain. Controlling Argentine ants can be a daunting task since killing the workers isn’t effective as a queen will just produce more workers AND one colony can have multiple queens; contacting a local exterminator is often a good idea. But if you would like to try some DIY pest control, there are some options.

Slow acting poison baits typically work best since the bait will eventually make it to the queen.  There is a homemade ant bait recipe out there that many people have had success with; dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of boric acid powder and 1 tablespoon of white sugar with 3 tablespoons of water. Place the bait in an area the ants will visit. This method of pest control can take four or five days to work since the bait needs to make it through the entire colony.

Proper sanitation and caulking ant entrances are both good ways to avoid an Argentine ant invasion.

{Bottom right photo credit: Matthew Townsend}

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