What You Can Do

Since infestations are often associated with moisture and fungal decay, efforts to remediate moisture problems will greatly help. It is recommended that wood damaged by water should be replaced and nesting areas in moist areas under debris, landscape timbers, or rocks should also be addressed. In addition, sealing entrance points that ants and other pests can use to get into the home or building is beneficial.

Appearance

• Antennae: Unlike most other ants , this genus has antennae that are only 9 segmented, rather than antennae with 12 or more segments.
• Body: Their thorax is uneven with the front portion having a hump-like appearance.
• Color: They vary in color from pale yellow to blackish-brown.
• Size: Rover worker ants are very small, only about 2.5 mm long.

Diet

The diet of rover ants consists of honeydew produced by aphids, scale insects, and proteins from other living and dead insects.

Habitat

Rover ants build their nests in both natural and disturbed habitats. In their urban habitat, they frequently nest in mulch and objects on the ground such as stones, bricks, landscape timbers, and leaf litter. Also, rover ant nests can be found in potted plants. Some of their preferred natural habitats include:

• Beaches
• Mixed hardwood forests
• Pine forests
• Prairies

Geographic Range

Rover ants are another of the invasive ant species that were introduced into the U.S. from other parts of the world and have progressively spread their distribution primarily to the southern, coastal states. Rover ants are common along the Gulf of Mexico and in some cities of Arizona, California, and Nevada.

Reproduction

Colony formation begins with mating flights of winged male and female individuals called reproductives. Mating flights usually take place at night during summer.