   Harvester Ants - August 11, 2004 Jeff Schalau, County Director, Agent, Agriculture & Natural Resources Arizona Cooperative Extension, Yavapai County Harvester ants are most noticeable in wildland areas by the 4 to 35 foot wide circular bare spots they create on the soil surface. In open spaces away from people and pets, they are benign and should be left alone. Harvester ants disperse seed, increase permeability of soils and feed other organisms. Horned lizards (horned toads) rely on harvester ants for food which compose up to 90% of their diets. When harvester ants are found in your yard, it is up to you to decide whether or not they pose a risk. There are 22 species of harvester ants found in the United States (several of these are in Arizona). Harvester ant workers are usually between ¼ and ½ inch in length and colors range from orange, to red, brown, or black. They can sting and will aggressively defend the nest if threatened. People having allergic reactions to insect stings should be especially careful. Some species have stingers with reverse barbs which pulls out when used, much like honey bees. In Arizona, winged male and female harvester ants swarm, mate and establish new nest areas in spring or summer. The males mate with the queen and die. After finding a suitable nest site, the queen drops her wings, digs a burrow and produces a few eggs. Larvae hatch from eggs, go through several stages (instars), and pupate before becoming adults. Workers produced begin caring for other developing ants, enlarge the nest, and forage for food. Harvester ant queens are long-lived and continue laying eggs to build and maintain the colony. Mounds composed of fine gravel are often built in the center of the cleared nest area (depending on harvester ant species). There may also be small bits of charcoal and fragments of dead vegetation. The cleared area is to increase the temperature inside the nest. The nests are commonly three feet deep and have one to three entrances. At Hanford Nuclear Reservation (Washington) harvester ants were thought to have exhumed buried radioactive waste from a depth of 15 feet. Harvester ants exhibit two foraging patterns. Some species leave the nest individually and disperse in all directions. Other species use scent-marked “trunk routes” and disperse at a further distance from the nest. Harvester ants forage primarily for seeds but sometimes feed on insects. They typically gather only one seed species until it is gone then shift to another species. The seeds and insects are stored in the nest as food for the colony. Harvester ants have chewing mouthparts to grind food items into ingestible pieces. Workers may also feed the colony by laying unfertilized eggs to be fed to the queen and larvae. As stated above, only nests posing a threat to people or pets should be treated. Only apply pesticides after you have evaluated the situation and determine treatment is necessary. Unwanted harvester ant nests can be treated with pesticide baits labeled for that purpose. These are available at hardware stores and garden centers. These baits are suitable for landscapes, driveways, animal pens and other non-cropped areas. Since harvester ants are least active during the hottest part of the day, this is an ideal time to apply pesticides. As with any pesticide, ALWAYS FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. Licensed professional pesticide applicators may also be employed and have access to other suitable products. Finally, I encourage you to observe harvester ants from a distance and appreciate their role in your local food web. |