Will Argentine ants join your July 4th picnic?
Thursday, July 2, 2009 at 4:00PM 
It’s enough to give you the creepy-crawlies, especially since America’s Independence Day is coming up and most of us will head to the outdoor grill to cook. The BBC says, “A single mega-colony of ants has colonised much of the world, scientists have discovered.” Lots of these Argentine ants live in Europe, the US and Japan.
Some familial lines are friendly to one another when their paths cross. They like to attack native animals and crops. Worker ants are small, 2-3 mm (1/8”) in length, light to dark brown to almost black in color. When they’ve fed on honey, their abdomens are almost transparent. Argentine ants are the Grim Reapers of the honeybee world, which can mean trouble for farmers and backyard gardeners. 
Argentine ant has a smooth (hairless) abdomen.The Florida Dept. of Agriculture said, “For years US beekeepers have been experiencing economic strain because of honey bee habitat loss and the introduction of new pests and diseases. The impact of pests such as the Argentine ant will only add to this burden by increasing operation costs due to additional insecticide treatments and/or moving bee yards.”
Experts believe the Argentine ant hitched a ride to Louisiana from Brazil on coffee ships in 1890. The ant has spread to most of the Southern US where it is definitely considered a nuisance pest.
Australia got their first Argentine Ant visitors 50 years ago. One of the world’s biggest super-colonies formed in Melbourne. A colorfully written article at ABC-Australia likens the ants to the Mafia, lurking underground but wreaking havoc above.
Whatever you’re planning to do tomorrow, you’ll share the day with creatures I figure God invented to remind us humans that despite our dominance, we’re still vulnerable. And if you think about it, there’s a sort of social statement in insects. Mosquitoes don’t see matter in terms of race or skin color, or sexual preference. They just see good hunting grounds. Ants cooperate and die if they must so the colony survives. And now, one, the Argentine ant, stands sublime above all others in terms of population and cultural assimilation.
They could care less what people are all about. And they outnumber us. There’s a lesson in humility there, further evidenced by the necessity of bug spray at any July 4th picnic.
Kay B. Day
Jul. 2, 2009
*See major source for Argentine ants in References.
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