Red Harvester Ants

When it comes to Red Harvester Ants, the side walks of Las Vegas take the cake.

Red Harvester Ants create large opening for there mound. This was just one of the possible dozens of entrances they use.

These extremely LARGE and intimidating ants makes Red Harvester Ants a household name. Mostly found outside, Red Harvester Ants, use the earth to protect them from the elements like intense heat, and most importantly predators. Just as the Red Imported Fire Ants and Native Fire Ants do, Red Harvester Ants tunnel beneath the ground using the earth as their tunneling canvas. Intricate tunnels spanning hundreds of feet lay beneath us. It is this protection that is incredibly isolated from the rest of the environment, but is also extremely vulnerable to attacks by nature. Such as rapid rushing floods.

Red Harvester Ants have many unique abilities besides their extreme size. They also have extreme strength; picking up objects up to 50 times their own weight. That would be like a human man picking upwards of 7000 pounds up by himself. A huge challenge for humans, but to Red Harvester Ants it’s no problem. In fact, this strength is very useful for moving large rocks, dirt, twigs, stones, and any other debris that needs to be moved. More noticeable however is the Red Harvester Ants large mound entrances they create. Interestingly Red Harvester Ants cut away all vegetation around the mound within an area up to 35 feet away. Researchers still have inconclusive reasoning for the action however. Almost all Ant species follow pheromone trails left by fellow ants; Red Harvester Ants are no different First using Scout Ants as the spotter whose job is to ensure they find and map a trail of pheromones that lead to food. Now that the map is written out in pheromone scents, the workers know exactly where to go. The travel there and back is a whole different story. Red Harvester Ants must travel to the food/supply source which can be up to 31 miles away; then they must trek all the way back. The food/supply source, which varies from seeds, grasses, even dead insects is brought back to the colony and stored for later use within the colony.

red harvester ants, red ants, large red ants

Red Harvester Ants (Above) use seeds from any plant they can find, even weeds.

Just like our landfills, Red Harvester Ants create piles of trash consisting of dead ants and items they deemed no longer useful to the colony. These trash workers are called “middens“; female workers that tend to the mounds every need. While the scouts and workers are out, the middens are like maids to the queen. The Red Harvester Ants Queen is one of extreme importance. Living up to 20 years, the queen will produce workers, scouts, and middens throughout out her entire life. This system of order that ants create is one evolutionary wonder; everyone has a job and MUST perform or the entire colony is doomed to fail. Memorable for most who come into contact with Red Harvester Ants are the extremely painful bites and stings it performs under threatening circumstances. If threatened, the Red Harvester Ants will use their large mandibles to bite and latch onto its target, then, while it is death gripping, it “shanks” its victim repeatedly with its large stinger.

A sting that can be fatal to those with allergic reactions to Red Harvester Ants. We caution that you keep you and your pets distance from Red Harvester Ants. Know your self, know your capabilities, let the professionals at Stop Buggn Pest Control take care of your Red Imported Fire Ants before they take care of you!