What Species of Ant is This? Native... Invasive? - Ask Extension
Hello,
Im in Damascus Oregon on the Clackamas River, and we have an abundance of these ants in the forest on our land. I also see them in other pla...
Knowledgebase
What Species of Ant is This? Native... Invasive? #871592
Asked June 04, 2024, 5:44 PM EDT
Hello,
Im in Damascus Oregon on the Clackamas River, and we have an abundance of these ants in the forest on our land. I also see them in other places. I dont ever remember seeing this species 10 years ago, and now Im seeing them everywhere. What species is this? What is their life history and what do they do? Are they native or invasive? FYI, I put my pocket knife in the picture for scale, and its 1" wide at the widest.
thank you,
Dan
Clackamas County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Daniel,
Based on the size and color of the ant in your photo, I think it could be either a type of carpenter ant (a Camponotus species) or a field ant (also called thatching ants, wood ants or mound ants: a Formica species).
I can't tell for sure from your photos which one of these types of ants it is. However, you may be able to determine this yourself. If you look closely at the ant's thorax in side view, the shape of the upper part of the thorax can distinguish ants in the genus Camponotus from those in the genus Formica. Here is a link to show you what to look for...
https://ncurbanpests.wordpress.ncsu.edu/feature/2016/featured-insect-field-ants-formica-spp/
I think any field or carpenter ant species you would find in your area would be native. Field ants nest in the ground or build large mounds, while carpenter ants tunnel and nest in wood.
Hope that helps!
Based on the size and color of the ant in your photo, I think it could be either a type of carpenter ant (a Camponotus species) or a field ant (also called thatching ants, wood ants or mound ants: a Formica species).
I can't tell for sure from your photos which one of these types of ants it is. However, you may be able to determine this yourself. If you look closely at the ant's thorax in side view, the shape of the upper part of the thorax can distinguish ants in the genus Camponotus from those in the genus Formica. Here is a link to show you what to look for...
https://ncurbanpests.wordpress.ncsu.edu/feature/2016/featured-insect-field-ants-formica-spp/
I think any field or carpenter ant species you would find in your area would be native. Field ants nest in the ground or build large mounds, while carpenter ants tunnel and nest in wood.
Hope that helps!
