Tapinoma melanocephalum
Encyclopedia
Tapinoma melanocephalum is a species
of ant
that goes by the common name ghost ant.
They are recognised by their dark head and pale or translucent legs and gaster (abdomen). This colouring makes this tiny ant ( of an inch, 1.5 mm) seem even smaller.
The ghost ant's diet consists mainly of sweets but they will also feed on grease and occasionally living or dead insects. They exhibit a high need for moisture, and although colonies are usually established outside, they can readily "set up camp" inside domestic houses during dry conditions.
This is a widespread tropical species, found throughout the world. Its native range is unknown.
The ghost ant is thought to be so named because the legs and abdomen of the insect look transparent, with only the head and thorax being dark brown in colour.
Observed in infested buildings with the naked eye they are quite difficult to distinguish from pharaoh ant
s, being virtually of the same size.
Like a lot of small insects a positive identification can only be made once is a specimen is looked at through a microscope.
The worker ants form trails like pharaoh ants, taking food back to the nest, and also like pharaoh ants, the queens are communal, so that there can be several queens in a colony, and several thousand workers. New colonies can be formed when a queen and some workers migrate away.
in a sucrose
solution, against a few ant species including ghost ants. With a three-day continuous exposure to boric acid, the number of ghost ant workers was reduced by 97% and by the 8th week all ghost ant queens were eliminated. Interestingly they found that with hydramethylon (an active ingredient in a ready to use bait) none of the ghost ant colonies was eliminated.
A new development in the U.K is that the availability of some concentrates has been phased out due to the influence of the European legislation such as the Biocide Directive.
This ant has another, less often used, common name, "tiny yellow house ant". In Malaysia they are known as "corpse ants" because of the unpleasant odour they secrete when crushed.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
that goes by the common name ghost ant.
They are recognised by their dark head and pale or translucent legs and gaster (abdomen). This colouring makes this tiny ant ( of an inch, 1.5 mm) seem even smaller.
This is a widespread tropical species, found throughout the world. Its native range is unknown.
The ghost ant is thought to be so named because the legs and abdomen of the insect look transparent, with only the head and thorax being dark brown in colour.
Observed in infested buildings with the naked eye they are quite difficult to distinguish from pharaoh ant
Pharaoh ant
The pharaoh ant is a small yellow or light brown, almost transparent ant notorious for being a major indoor nuisance pest, especially in hospitals. The origin of this "tramp" ant is uncertain, although favoured alternatives include West Africa and Indonesia...
s, being virtually of the same size.
Like a lot of small insects a positive identification can only be made once is a specimen is looked at through a microscope.
The worker ants form trails like pharaoh ants, taking food back to the nest, and also like pharaoh ants, the queens are communal, so that there can be several queens in a colony, and several thousand workers. New colonies can be formed when a queen and some workers migrate away.
Pest control
One laboratory evaluation in 1996 tested 1% boric acidBoric acid
Boric acid, also called hydrogen borate or boracic acid or orthoboric acid or acidum boricum, is a weak acid of boron often used as an antiseptic, insecticide, flame retardant, as a neutron absorber, and as a precursor of other chemical compounds. It exists in the form of colorless crystals or a...
in a sucrose
Sucrose
Sucrose is the organic compound commonly known as table sugar and sometimes called saccharose. A white, odorless, crystalline powder with a sweet taste, it is best known for its role in human nutrition. The molecule is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose with the molecular formula...
solution, against a few ant species including ghost ants. With a three-day continuous exposure to boric acid, the number of ghost ant workers was reduced by 97% and by the 8th week all ghost ant queens were eliminated. Interestingly they found that with hydramethylon (an active ingredient in a ready to use bait) none of the ghost ant colonies was eliminated.
A new development in the U.K is that the availability of some concentrates has been phased out due to the influence of the European legislation such as the Biocide Directive.
This ant has another, less often used, common name, "tiny yellow house ant". In Malaysia they are known as "corpse ants" because of the unpleasant odour they secrete when crushed.
External links
- Tapinoma melanocephalum on the UFUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
/ IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site