A general description suitable for quarantine purposes is given by Harris et al. (2005), and is summarized here.
One of the best methods for detecting invasive ants including T. melanocephalum is via baits. They appear to especially like sugary food. Clark et al. (1982) found that T. melanocephalum was frequently the only ant present on sugar water baits, but also the species most often replaced, suggesting a rapid utilization foraging strategy. Foragers locate and recruit to food quickly (Clark et al., 1982;Lee, 2002). However, they are also often displaced when dominant ants discover food resources (Clark et al., 1982), so observations may need to be made of species dynamics at baits.
The Pacific Invasive Ant Key (PIAKey) manual Pacific Invasive Ants Taxonomy Workshop Manual can both be used in identifying invasive ants in the Pacific region.
Related invasive species
- Tapinoma melanocephalum
Related Farm Practice
- Pests
- Natural enemies
- Effects
- Protection
T. melanocephalum is a small ant species around 1.5 mm in length originating from the Old World tropics. It is considered an invasive and “tramp” ant species: widely associated with humans, it has been moved around the subtropical and tropical world by human activity. This ant is also recorded in heated buildings in areas such as Canada and Finland. It is primarily a household pest, nesting in housing and consuming household food. In areas such as Florida it is considered one of the most important house-infesting pests. However it has been known to affect agricultural production in situations such as greenhouses, especially if it tends honeydew-producing insects and protects these pests from biological control organisms. T. melanocephalum is thought to be capable of transporting pathogenic microbes and is often abundant in hospitals. Some people can suffer a slight, red irritation of the skin following contact with this ant. This ant is listed on the ISSG global invasive species database.
In crops T. melanocephalum is considered a secondary pest: rather than being a pest itself, it can tend or farm mealybug, scale or aphid populations, protecting these pests from their natural enemies (Fowler et al., 1990;Appel et al., 2004). This protection can result in large herbivore populations. The specific effects and symptoms on each crop are dependent on the specific mealybug, scale or aphid species being tended.
It is important to note that no reports were found of T. melanocephalum being considered a significant pest of agriculture or horticulture. In crops it is considered a secondary pest: rather than being a pest itself, it can tend or farm mealybug, scale or aphid populations, protecting these pests from their natural enemies (Fowler et al., 1990;Appel et al., 2004). This protection can result in large herbivore populations. Unlike other invasive ants, however, the results of such tending behaviour in terms of economic damage have not been quantified. T. melanocephalum is also known to consume sugary foods in storage and nectar from plants.