Myrmecia Author(s) Melissa Murray
Bull Ants
What do I look Like
Bull ants are large, alert ants that can grow up to 40 mm they have large eyes and long, slender mandibles and a potent venom-loaded sting. They have superior vision, able to track and even follow intruders from a distance of 1 metre. Many species of bull ants have bright red or orange colours on the head or abdomen.
A Little Bit About Me
There are about 90 species of bull ants in Australia with diverse behaviours and life cycles. Nine bull ant species have been recorded in Sydney, but there may be more as yet undiscovered. Some of the smaller species are known as jumper ants after their habit of aggressively jumping toward intruders. Bull ants live in urban areas, forests and woodland, and heath.
Where I live
Found throughout Australia.
Am I A Danger to Humans.
These ants can deliver painful stings and are aggressive. An ice pack or commercially available spray may be used to relieve the pain of the sting. If there is evidence of an allergic reaction, medical attention should be sought.
Rhytidoponera metallica
Green-head Ant
What do I look Like
These ants measure between 5 and 7 mm in length and are well known for their distinctive metallic appearance, which varies from green to purple or even reddish-violet.
A Little Bit About Me
Green-head Ants have a broad-ranging diet, but they generally feed on animal material both as scavengers and predators.
These ants are one of the first insects to forage after bush fires and are sometimes found as soon as the embers have stopped smouldering. Unlike many ants, rain presents no problem to Green-head Ants nests are usually in soil, under twigs or wood and often at the base of shrubs.
Where I live
Found throughout Australia.
Am I A Danger to Humans.
Green-head Ants can sting. An ice pack or commercially available spray may be used to relieve the pain of the sting. If there is evidence of an allergic reaction, medical attention should be sought.
Diamma bicolor
Blue Ant
What do I look Like
Blue ants have a distinctive metallic blue-green body, with red legs. The female ranges up to 25 millimetres (1 inch) in length, and wingless.
A Little Bit About Me
Blue Ants Are actually wasps insects that move in groups, blue ants are loners. They form no colonies or nests and survive independently of each other.
Male blue ants are generally smaller than females and are less aggressive.
You might often find them crawling around bushes and trees, especially in Australian urban areas.
Ref CSIRO. 1994. Insects of Australia. Canberra. • Hadlington, P. and J. Johnston. 1982.
Where I live
They are a solitary wasp species, with fully winged males, and can often be found on flowers. The Blue Ant is found in urban areas, forests and woodlands.
throughout Australia
throughout Australia
Am I A Danger to Humans.
The sting of the blue ant can cause a severe burning sensation and swelling in humans; in rare cases, it can cause a life-threatening reaction (such as anaphylaxis).
Cold packs can relieve pain; severe reactions require immediate medical attention.
Cold packs can relieve pain; severe reactions require immediate medical attention.
Eukaryota
Pharoah Ant
What do I look Like
1.5 – 2mm Golden brown to brown
They are light yellow to reddish brown in colour with a darker abdomen. There is a non-functional stinger used to generate pheromones. Eyes are poor and possess on average 32 ommatidia.
A Little Bit About Me
An individual colony normally contains 1,000–2,500 workers but a high density of nests gives the impression of massive colonies.
The pharaoh ant queen can lay hundreds of eggs in her lifetime The larval period is 18 to 19 days, pre-pupal period three days and pupal period nine days. They breed continuously throughout the year in heated buildings.
Pharaoh ants have become a serious pest in hospitals, rest homes, apartment dwellings, hotels, grocery stores, food establishments and other buildings. They feed on a wide variety of foods including jellies, honey, shortening, peanut butter, corn syrup, fruit juices, baked goods, soft drinks, grease, dead insects, toothpaste and even shoe polish. They can also gnaw holes in silk, rayon and rubber goods.
Where I live
The Pharoah ant is found throughout Australia.
Am I A Danger to Humans.
Pharaoh ants are dangerous because they can cause bacterial infections and transmit them by contaminating anything that they crawl on They can carry more than a dozen potentially harmful bacteria including salmonella, staphylococcus, and pseudomonas Bacterial infections spread by Pharaoh ants can range from minor skin problems to food poisoning to sepsis, a potentially life-threatening blood infection.
Camponotus consobrinus
Sugar Ant
What do I look Like
Banded sugar ants appear in different forms, varying from 4 to 16 millimetres (0.2 to 0.6 in) in length, making them a large species.
Female banded sugar ants are have a black head, orange thorax and an orange-brown band that wraps around their gaster. Males are completely black.
A Little Bit About Me
Workers are mostly encountered at dusk when they are foraging for food on marked trails or on Casuarina and Eucalyptus trees. These ants also forage during the day, but they are more frequently seen at night. They are also more active during the warmer seasons,.
Where I live
The banded sugar ant is one of the most widely distributed ants in Australia, The banded sugar ant's presence in Western Australia has yet to be verified
Am I A Danger to Humans.
Sugar ants are not dangerous to humans.
Solenopsis Invicta
Red imported Fire Ant
What do I look Like
Fire ants have 4 characteristics that together set them apart from other ants you might find:
Fire Ants are dark reddish-brown in colour and have darker brown-black abdomens. They are 2–6 mm long, they are found in a variety of sizes within one nest.
They are aggressive - hundreds of ants will come out of a nest if disturbed, trying to sting over and over.
A Little Bit About Me
Fire ants might be small, but when their nests are disturbed, they rise up in their thousands to swarm and sting their intruder en masse.
Found in parks, gardens and homes.
Found in parks, gardens and homes.
These ants damage crops, rob beehives and kill newborn livestock. During dry times they dominate the margins of dams and livestock cannot reach water without being seriously stung.
Ref NSW Govt invasives.org.au/insect-watch/ red-imported fire-ant
Am I A Danger to Humans.
The stings are painful – the alkaloid venom causes pustules and, in some people, allergic reactions.. More than 85 people in the US have died of anaphylactic shock. 2002 modelling currently being updated for Australia indicates fire ants would cause an extra 140,000 medical consultations and 3000 anaphylactic reactions a year.
Camponotus
Carpenter Ant
What do I look Like
Camponotus are generally large ants:
Dark, usually brown, orange or black. workers are 4–7 mm long in small species and 7–13 mm in large species, queens are 9–20 mm long and males are 5–13 mm long. The bases of the antennae are separated from the clypeal border by a distance of at least the antennal scape's maximum diameter.
Dark, usually brown, orange or black. workers are 4–7 mm long in small species and 7–13 mm in large species, queens are 9–20 mm long and males are 5–13 mm long. The bases of the antennae are separated from the clypeal border by a distance of at least the antennal scape's maximum diameter.
A Little Bit About Me
Carpenter ants reside in moist wood, both outdoors and indoors. They create galleries for nest movement. Vulnerable areas in houses are prone to infestations due to moisture. Carpenter ants build extensive underground tunnels, often leading to aphid colonies for honeydew. They nest in trees and structures, featuring a central ``parent`` colony surrounded by smaller satellites. Contrary to belief, they don't eat wood; they construct nests within it.
Where I live
Throughout Australia.
Am I A Danger to Humans.
No sting but they have a painful bite.