Coastal Brown Ant
Coastal Brown Ant - also known as the Big HeadedAnt | How to eradicate Coastal Brown Ants
Classification
Species category: Ant Scientific name: Pheidole megacephala
Description
The Coastal Brown Ant, also known at the Big HeadedAnt is golden brown to brown in colour and is a smallant, typically measuring 1.5 -2.5mm. It is disdistinguished by two raised nodes on pedicel, visiblespines on the thorax and 12 segmented antennae thatfinish with a 3 segmented club. The workers in the species are characterised by their large, pronounced head, which isdisproportionately larger than the rest of the body. Originally believed to be a native of Africa, this species is common throughout Australia. This pest is a soil-nesting ant that displaces soil and leaves tell-tale mounds of soil next to the nestopening. Colonies can be so large that they stretch beyond property boundaries. They are common inurban dwellings but can also displace turf and are a pest on agricultural sites.
Behavior
This incredibly invasive species often has multiple queens in a colony and quickly achieves thestatus of a ‘super-colony’. As the initial colony grows, a process called budding will take place in which a queen and aselection of workers will walk from the nest and establish a new colony in close proximity.The Coastal Brown Ant forages for fat and oil based foods or proteins such as meats. Insects area secondary option. They are not particularly aggressive but have a sting present when under threat;