Ants of Arizona

Mountain Ants

• Camponotus genus carpenter ants and Formica wood ants live in the forested mountain areas of Arizona. Wood ants are generally red, black or two-toned. Their range includes isolated southern peaks and all of Arizona's mountain systems. In the Chiricahua Mountains, 187 species of ants occupy a variety of niches. Over time, they build large colonies of ant mounds. Carpenter ants are large black ants found nesting in the dead wood of living trees. They sometimes infest houses, causing structural damage to the wood.

Desert Ants

• Seed-gathering ants from the Pogonomyrmex, Messor, Pheidole and Solenopsis genera live in the deserts of Arizona. Desert ants feed their larvae by collecting seeds of annual grass and broadleaf plants. The seeds are stored in dry chambers near the top of the ants' nest. Seed-gathering worker ants evolved large squarish heads with powerful jaws to crush hard-shelled seeds. Sonoran Desert Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants grow fungus for food in special underground chambers. Honey pot Myrmecocystus ants live on nectar and insect juice.

Fire Ants

• Arizona's native fire ants are the southern fire ant (Solenopsis xyloni) and the desert fire ants (S. aurea and S. amblychila). Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) are an invasive South American species. All fire ants inflict painful stinging bites. The aggressive ants communicate using chemical pheromones and attack in swarms. The insects nest in tunnels dug under mounds of dirt. A single-queen mound of fire ants may contain up to 500,000 individuals.

Army Ants

• The 19 species of Arizona army ants belonging to the Neivamyrmex genus live by feeding on carabid beetles and raiding other ant mounds and eating the larvae. Common Arizona army ant species include nigrescens, opacithorax and texanus. The reddish-brown ants march above ground in tightly organized raid columns following well-worn trails. The nocturnal army ants are rarely seen in sunlight. Army ants don't live in permanent locations but form temporary nests as they move about in search of enemy ant colonies to raid.