Ant News from the MEM
2009
Asian needle ant discovered near Birmingham, Alabama: While on a recent vacation at Oak Mountain State Park in Jefferson County, Alabama near Birmingham, MacGown found a large colony of Pachycondyla chinensis Emery, the Asian needle ant, in a very moist, rotting log in a hilly, wooded area bordering a lake. This species has been causing problems along the Atlantic Coastal states as a stinging pest. Unlike many other exotic ant species, the Asian needle ant can nest in natural wooded locations, and may out-compete native species. It appears to be spreading throughout the Southeast. For more information about this species go to our Pachycondyla chinensis page.
Ants of Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge: MacGown and Hill recently concluded a year long survey of ants of the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge in Oktibbeha, Noxubee, and Winston Counties in Mississippi. The 48,000 acre refuge has a nice mix of bottomland hardwood, upland hardwood, pine, and mixed pine-hardwood forests, as well as open fields and aquatic habitats. A total of 95 species were collected during the survey, including several new state records and other uncommonly collected species. For more information about this project, visit our web site: Ants of Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge, Oktibbeha and Noxubee Counties, Mississippi. An Adobe Acrobat pdf version of the final report is available online [pdf].
2008
The Ghost ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum detected in southern Mississippi: While conducting a preliminary survey of ants at Mississippi nurseries that import plants from Florida, MEM staff (Hill and MacGown) found ghost ants. The nursery is located in Bay St. Louis in Hancock County, MS and specializes in palm trees. The ants were found crawling on the ground and on trees that were planted in the ground. Ghost ants are considered one of the major nuisance pest species in Florida. Additional visits to the area are necessary to ascertain if this species has become established.
Ants of the Ohoopee Dunes, Fall Line Sandhills, and Big Hammock Natural Areas in Georgia: During 2007 Macgown and Hill conducted a survey of ants in three sandhill habitats in Georgia: Ohoopee Dunes, Fall Line Sandhills, and Big Hammock. Distinct differences in ant diversity were noted between the three natural areas, with 77 species found at Ohoopee, 33 at Fall Line Sand Hills, and 25 at Big Hammock. Differences were due in part to more collections at Ohoopee, but also likely due to much reduced habitat at Big Hammock and the high disturbance levels at Fall Line Sand Hills. For information about this project visit our web pages: Ohoopee Ants, Big Hammock Ants, and Fall Line Sand Hill Ants. An Adobe Acrobat pdf version of the final report, which also includes grasshoppers, is available online [pdf].
Harvester ants in Mississippi: In December 2006 a colony of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius (Latreille), were found in Smith County, MS by Lucas Majure, an MSU graduate student in Biology. A follow-up visit to the site by Hill and MacGown revealed several more colonies. Some researchers had speculated that this species was extirpated from the state as a result of imported fire ant competition and wide area pesticide application aimed at killing fire ants. It had not been collected in MS since the mid 1930s, even at some localities where it was known to be historically present. However, subsequent surveys of relict sand habitats in southern MS by Tom Mann of the Nature Conservancy have produced numerous records of this species; albeit, in apparently low densities. It appears to be a species in dire straits, mostly due to loss of habitat. Information about the initial finding of this species was published in 2008 (MacGown, J. A., J. G. Hill, L. C. Majure, J. L. Seltzer. 2008. Rediscovery of Pogonomyrmex badius (Latreille) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in mainland Mississippi, with an analysis of associated seeds and vegetation. Midsouth Entomologist 1 (1): 17-28. [pdf] ).
2007
Carpenter ants of Mississippi: The MEM produced a full color guide to the Carpenter ants of Mississippi, which was published by MAFES (Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station). The guide includes species lists, identification keys, biological info, distributional maps, drawings, full color photos, and other information. An Adobe Acrobat pdf version of the final report is available online [pdf]. Additionally, some printed copies are still available. For more info contact Joe MacGown.
Dark rover ants in the Southeast: The dark rover ant, Brachymyrmex patagonicus Mayr, is a small, dark brown exotic species native to Argentina that is fast becoming a nuisance pest in the Southeast. This species was only detected in the US about 30 years ago, but now is abundant in most of the southeastern states, into Texas, and even in Arizona. It appears to be spreading at an alarming rate. The MEM published a paper about this species to aid in identification and give distributional information (MacGown, J. A., J.G. Hill, and M. A. Deyrup. 2007. Brachymyrmex patagonicus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), an emerging pest species in the southeastern United States. Florida Entomologist 90: 457-464.). An Adobe Acrobat pdf version of the final report is available online [pdf].
