A New House-Invading Ant from Massachusetts

Abstract

There are but a few species of ants which in our northern climate invade houses and make them their temporary or perma ment abodes. The most common of these are the black carpenter ant (Camponotus herculeanus pennsylvanicus), Solenopsis mo lesta, Tetramorium ccespitum and a few other species which were introduced into this country through commerce, and flourish in greenhouses. Wheeler, Ants, 1910, cited Camponotus herculeanus ferrugineus and novoboracensis as house pests, but these forms seem to invade human dwellings rarely and prefer the outdoor life. I have observed Crematogaster lineolata nesting beneath the porch of our house for several years, but this ant does not actually invade the house and steal provisions as Solenopsis does, or, like Camponotus, cause damage to the timbers. Some time ago a new ant invaded our kitchen, nesting in an inaccessible spot underneath the sink. Closer examination showed that this ant was an unrecorded form of Myrmica, a genus which has not been previously observed to inyade houses. No measures were taken to exterminate the ants while they were under obser vation; after several weeks they disappeared without trace, which seems to indicate that the kitchen had been a temporary abode.