Allegheny Mound Ant
Found from Nova Scotia south to Georgia and westward to Wisconsin and Iowa, discovery of this ant’s mounds often leads to fire ant scares.
- Common Name: Allegheny Mound Ant
- Scentific Name: Formica exsectoides Forel
- Class/Order/Family: Insecta/Hymenoptera/Formicidea
- Metamorphosis: Complete
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Size
3.2 to 6.3 mm
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Color
reddish head and thorax, abdomen and legs are dark brown to black
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Biology
The life cycle from egg to adult ranges from 2 to 3-1/3 months, depending primarily on temperature. Eggs are present during the spring and early summer and the white legless larvae are cared for by workers in galleries in the soil.
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Habit
The workers make galleries and tunnels in the ground. The tunnels extend as deep as almost 1 m (~3 ft) into the soil. As they dig, the workers pile the excavated soil up to make the mound. The mounds can reach records of about 5 m (~16ft) in diameter, especially with older nests found in fields and wooded areas.
Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington Counties