sts during the changing seasons and other conditions.
· These pests are omnivorous; they seem to never be in short supply of food.
· Each colony of Argentine ants contains a multitude of workers.
· Each worker is more courageous and harder worker than most ants. Creatures that attempt to prey on Argentine ants are confronted with an army of stubborn bugs that never runs from a fight!
· The queens of most ant species are usually egg-laying machines. The queen ant of Argentines actually helps in the care, grooming and feeding of her young.
· Most species of ants mate and reproduce by swarming; the Argentine mates in the colony, unexposed to the perils of birds, frogs, lizards, predator insects and extreme weather conditions. A swarmer reproductive (as seen with fireants and carpenter ants) has about 1 chance in 1,000 of surviving and successfully reproducing. The Argentine ant queen always succeeds!
Distribution. Originating from Northern Argentina near the Paraná River and surrounding regions, the Argentine ant now occurs in most regions with Mediterranean climates or with mild winters and moderate to high humidity. Argentine ants are established in at least 15 countries on six continents and many oceanic islands, including New Zealand, Japan, and Hawaii. The global distribution of Argentine ants continues to expand. Humans have been the primary factor in their spread, however, this ant can also disperse into new areas without human influence. The Argentine ant is widely distributed in California, with highest abundance in coastal areas, along rivers, and in urban settings.
It was discovered by scientists two years ago that native Argentine ant (in Argentina)colonies living in close proximity were territorial and aggressive toward one another, literally tearing one another apart whenever they came into contact. The puzzling question to the researchers was, Why weren’t the introduced ants in California the same way? Why would an Argentine ant from San Diego dropped into a colony in San Francisco be welcomed, while 