#argentine ant

[terry-the-insane]

Animal of the Day for November 25: Argentine Ant (Species Linepithema humile)

The Argentine Ant is a relatively small ant with workers around 2.5mm long, but they make up for this with a fast reproduction rate compared to other ants. Argentine Ants are a widespread invasive species, with supercolonies that spread across nations.

Due to their sheer numbers, they easily wipe out native ants and other insects. However their conquest is challenged in some places by the (also invasive) Fire Ant, which is a natural enemy of Argentine Ants, is much stronger, and happens to also form supercolonies.

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Brilliant Argentine Ants

As the name suggests, the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) is native to northern Argentina, as well as Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil. Both within and outside their native range, they are highly adaptable and can be found in a variety of habitats, including tropical and deciduous forests, grasslands, scrubland, and areas modified by human activities like farmland or urban centers. The primary restrictions to their range are the availability of water and average temperature; while L. humile can survive in temperatures as low as -5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit), they are more commonly found in areas with a Mediterranean climate, between 7 to 14 degrees Celsius (44 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit).

Like most ants, L. humile is a eusocial species; they are found in large colonies made of tens of thousands of individuals, each with a specific role to perform. Workers forage for food, maintain the nest, and care for the colony’s larvae. Queens are responsible for reproduction, and within a colony there may be as many as eight queens for every one thousand workers. Individuals within each colony use chemical cues to identify each other as nest-mates, and communicate with a combination of pheromones and touch. In their native range, colonies generally remain independent, occupying an area no larger than a meter. 

Argentine ants can be highly territorial, and will defend their colony against any perceived threat. In addition to their strong mandibles, workers will spray a pheromone that irritates the target and raising the alarm to other workers. When the colony is actively under attack, brood carers will also relocate the queens and larvae to a safer location. Spiders, antlions, cockroaches, frogs, lizards, and birds are all common predators of L. humile. In turn, the Argentine ant readily preys on other insect species in a coordinated group effort. Other sources of food include nectar, honeydew, fallen fruit, and carrion.

Despite their aggression towards outsiders, some Argentine ant colonies are genetically similar that individuals are able to to mingle with one another and form “super-colonies”, which can extend over nearly a kilometer. This phenomenon, also called unicoloniality, allows colonies to share food and reproductive responsibilities, and significantly increases their foraging success. Outside their native range, the genetic makeup of Argentine ant colonies is so uniform that they form super-colonies extending well over 4,000 km (2,500 miles) and containing trillions of individuals. 

Though Argentine ant colonies can be quite large, the individual ants that make up these colonies aren’t very big at all. The queens, the largest members of the colonies, only weigh 0.0036 g. Males come in second at 0.001 g. Workers are the smallest, at a whopping 0.00043 g. All members of the species are a reddish-brown, though workers tend to be lighter than queens and males. Males are the only members of this species to posess wings, which are used for a courtship flight, travel to a new colony, or to fight with another male for access to a queen.

L. humile has a unique mating system among ants. Mating occurs within the nest, and because of the large number of queens in any given colony there may be multiple reproductively active pairs at any given time. Males mate with multiple females when they can, though they die shortly after their first copulation-- sometimes having been attacked by their own mate. All this happens in the late spring or early summer, though the queen will not lay eggs until the following spring. However, 90% of queens are executed by workers before the reproductive season. Most of these queens are those who are less than a year old and have yet to produce a brood. If a queen survives, she begins laying eggs a year after being inseminated, and will continue laying 20 to 30 eggs a day throughout the year. Once she is reproductively active, queens can live for several years. Worker Argentine ants, like most other ant species, are sterile and only live for 10 to 12 months.

Conservation status: Argentine ants have no special conservation status. Instead, they are considered a highly invasive species: colonies have been established on 6 continents, and are highly detrimental to the environment. In almost every area they have been introduced, native ant species were nearly or completely wiped out.

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Photos

Phillip Herbst

Javier Chiavone

Alex Wild

Christine Broccard-Bell

[milanesa42]

Dillon: portate bien, dale?

Milei: daddy Trump let me suck your dick pliss!!!

.....

Mientras tanto la trama principal de las hormigas argentinas 🐜🇦🇷:

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"Antes Que Rías" by short-lived 1980s Buenos Aires, Argentina-based post-punk and gothic rock band El Corte off of their second and final album El Camino Contrario, from 1987

[mapsontheweb]

The global spread of the Argentine ant 

Ants have colonized the entire planet, with the exception of the polar regions. Many species have been displaced by the networks of globalization, invading new territories at the expense of native species. This is the case of the Argentine ant.

by @LegendesCarto

[fiftysevenacademics]

Argentine ants have become an invasive species around the world very recently. One reason for their massive success is that ants descended from the same original colony, wherever they might occur in the world now, recognize each other as members of the same colony now. But they have vicious wars with any individual Argentine ant or colony that they don't recognize as "one of us."

[fizzy-watches-and-listens]

ants are so cool

genuinely, no creature has ever brought me such joy as these tiny guys, they’re so smart and cool. i just wanna keep ants!! literally any ant

ANTS

also, ants canada!!! i actually adore their ant channel

i’m actually in love with the current marauder ants!!

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Empire of the ants: Researchers recently discovered more than 500 ant species in ecosystems they shouldn’t be. Most of these invasive ants originate from the tropics and subtropics, setting them up to thrive as the world warms, Nat Geo reports. Argentine fire ants, for example, have already created a super-colony stretching from Portugal to Italy (an invasive fire ant, above).

PHOTOGRAPH BY SOLVIN ZANKL, NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

[achromic-red-dreams-doze-angrily]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE BUILDING SITS ON TOP OF A GIANT ARGENTINE ANT COLONY???????

[breadboysteals]

"but trump is-" shut the hell up I know more than you "but-" shut the hell up before you say the stupidest thing that is immediately just a conspiracy theory "wanna talk about ants" so there's this species of ants that are just fucking everywhere every country besides Antarctica I think which is ironic because ANTarctica but they got like this because they had several queens to a colony if you didn't know most ants are not like this but since they like up to 20 queens I think it was they can just keep on growing and they can send a queen with a lot of regular ants to establish a new colony sometimes these new colonies would change and the original ant colony that sent them off would see them as enemies and they would fight and these ants since they send off the ant groups to make a new colony eventually they got onto boats eventually moving them everywhere which I think is called a super colony when their multi continental so essentially they're like the United Kingdom of ants

[peppermintprism]

I feel like I’m missing something about how ant pest control works, because I can pretty consistently solve all my indoor ant problems with painter’s tape and a caulking gun.

They’re just little animals that want something. You watch them for a minute to see how they’re getting access to that thing they want, then you clean up the ant line and close their access point.

I’ve been told that this is what everyone in my family does and yet their ant problems reduce by 20% every time I visit. The ants come for water in the summer and my bathroom is the only one that’s ant-free. Not to mention they also use ant poison on the invasive species like Argentine ants.

[nerdywizardmustdie]

The Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, formerly Iridomyrmex humilis, is an ant native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and southern Brazil! This invasive species was inadvertently introduced by humans on a global scale and has become established in many Mediterranean climate areas! Argentine ants are significant pests within agricultural and urban settings.

Wizardly Funfact: You most likely know of fire ants, but if you live in places where Argentine ants have invaded, you most likely have seen them many times! The absence of aggression within Argentine ant colonies was first reported in 1913 by Newell & Barber, who noted "…there is no apparent antagonism between separate colonies of its own kind". Later studies showed that these "supercolonies" extend across hundreds or thousands of kilometers in different parts of the introduced range! In fact, these continental supecolonies are believed to extend into one giant global supercolony! The enormous extent of this population is said to be paralleled only by human society!

“While this blog is not going to usually explain ways to kill the animals it features, it takes exceptions for invasive species that can truly be a problem (even if they are cool to learn about). Due to their nesting behavior and presence of numerous queens in each colony, it is generally impractical to spray Argentine ants with pesticides or to use boiling water as with mound building ants. Spraying with pesticides has occasionally stimulated increased egg-laying by the queens, compounding the problem! Pest control usually requires exploiting their omnivorous dietary habits, through use of slow-acting poison bait, which will be carried back to the nest by the workers, eventually killing all the individuals, including the queens. If you do this, be sure your targeting Argentine ants, not native ants to your area!”

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Most ant colonies are small, ranging from a few thousand to severl hundrad thousand invidivuals which are confined to a small area-- usually an anthill or two. The Argentine ant far surpasses those limits. This species is responsible for one of the largest ant colonies in the world, spanning over 6,000km (3,728 miles)!

(Image: A worker Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) displaying aggressive behaviour on the head of a harvester by Dr. Dong-Hwan Choe)

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[malangpest123]

Say Goodbye to Argentine Ants! Effective Control Solutions in Orange County.

Discover the ultimate Argentine ant control in Orange County! Our expert solutions ensure a pest-free environment, tackling Argentine ant infestations swiftly and effectively. Say farewell to unwanted intruders with our proven methods, tailored for Orange County’s unique challenges. Don’t let Argentine ants disrupt your peace — choose our reliable control services for a home or business that’s ant-free and comfortable!

[katiascraft]

"You should think about the consequence of your magnetic field being a little too strong" | LN4

Parings: Lando Norris x argentine!reader.

Summary: Your bestie Franco Colapinto is now an F1 driver for Williams Reacing Team. He flew you to the Austin Grand Prix in the USA. Little did you know you would blew one of the papaya boys' mind.

Now playing: "Gorgeous" by Taylor Swift.

Word count: +1,6k.

Warnings: use of Spanish. Pure fluff. Not a native English speaker so there could be errors. Not proofread.

Author's note: had this idea while going to uni and i found it so cute! I'm really needing Franco to stay forever in F1 🥹 I promise mate and pizza is the best! Don't forget to like or reblog! And follow me so we can be friemds :3 (and drink mate together!)

MASTERLIST

You were so excited to finally see your best friend shine in this world. You have always been with him through thick and thin. He trusted you blindly.

You arrived to the paddock with your mate and flask in hand. You couldn’t share your mate with Franco just in case. To protect his health before the race. So he had his as well. You were talking and laughing about memes and stuff you saw so he wouldn’t be so nervous and get lose.

You never felt so happy to be with him. You admired him so much. His strength in never give up to make his dreams come true knowing he had what is needed to shine in this sport. You’ve always loved formula one. Back home you loved spending the weekends at kartings or watching national races with your family. You love the adrenaline that gives you driving really fast. You met franco at the go karts when you were kids and since then you were inseparable. Both of your families were intimate.

“Para antes de que me dejes sola nos podemos sacar una foto? Mamá me pidió. Si no, se va a poner pesada” (you asked for a picture with him before he goes into the garage to do his driver thing - because your mom asked for one back from Argentina) you said to him giggling a little so you posed for a few pictures and even Alex got shot. You didn’t know he was behind trying to understand your conversation failing in each word. You all laughed and hugged your best friend tightly. You gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged Alex too.

“Good luck guys! I know you’ll kill it! Love ya” you said happily waving at them while they got far from you. You poured more water into your mate and drunk it. You needed to wait for Lily so you stayed with Maria, Franco’s manager. You drank mate together talking for a while. Then Lily finally arrived back from the bathroom and you hugged her in response. You loved her. She was always so welcoming. It was so nice to finally meet in person. She is so fun to be around. And so polite. You already loved her.

“Are you hungry? Maybe we can go and have some pizza at the resto” she offered and you nodded.

You and Lily went into the resto and asked for the pizza you wanted. As a regular argentine - you walked everywhere with your mate and flask. You were to drink mate and have pizza. The best combination. Lily wasn’t so sure about it so she ordered a coke.

You chose a table there and sat down starting to talk about flights and people and gossip. There’s always gossip to talk about. English wasn’t hard on you because back home you were an English teacher. So you were fluid but of course you had a foreign accent.

While you and Lily were chatting. The waiter brought you the food and started eating. She was telling you everything about everybody you didn’t know. How the drivers were in real life and stuff. She said hi through the glass window in front of you so you looked where she did and there you saw your crush: Lando Norris. You smiled at him passing by. Didn’t say hi because you actually didn’t know him so you thought that maybe it was inappropriate.

Lando smiled back at Lily when she said hi. Immediately he saw this mistery girl he has never seen in his life here on the paddock. Oh god. He thought she was so beautiful. When she smiled back at him he felt his heart skip a beat. He never felt like this seeing someone for the first time. When he passed through the Williams building he looked at Oscar.

“Do you know who the girl with Lily was?” He asked curiously. Oscar denied with his head.

“I’ve actually have no idea mate. Maybe she is something of Franco. He is the new guy so maybe you know” he said while going up the stairs at the Mc Claren building. Lando nodded. But he thought about it from then. Your smile and your face were stuck in his head. He couldn’t ask Franco about it either because it could be misinterpreted.

(…)

After the race you were already a bit drunk from drinking beer. You were going crazy in excitement. Franco scored a point again! What an achievement. You really wanted him to get a seat for next year. He is ready. And he knows it. He is doing so well. And he is doing history for our country. When he came back to the garage you jumped at him, making him laugh. You were out of your mind. You congratulated him and kissed his face. He isn’t into hugs that much but he let you do it along with the rest of the team. Charles has won the race and oh boy! He was even more beautiful in person. You got a little shy about it. We could say you felt intimidated by the men driving.

You wanted to see the podium so you got out of the garage alone and tried to make your way to where the podium and celebration were to take place. You were texting like crazy to your friends and family, even Franco’s family. For that reason you weren’t looking where you were walking.

Lando was defeated. He was struggling finding a way of not being so harsh on himself. He got the chance and he didn’t know how it slipped through his fingers again. Oscar hugged him in support “everything’s okay mate. You did a great race. Next time it will be” he said trying to push his friend back up from the lose. He was texting his mum that couldn’t be there with him. He wasn’t looking where he was heading until he and somebody else crashed making both phones crash into the cement.

“Oh god im so so sorry” a feminine voice said that made him look up to see who she was. And in that moment he saw you. Worry all over your face. Cheeks red and you handing him his phone with the screen broken that you picked up from the floor rapidly. “I’m really sorry I didn’t see you. I can make it up. Tell me how much it costs to fix it and I’ll pay” she said and you just found it so cute. You were truly worried but he didn’t care about the phone. He could buy another one.

“Oh no no it’s fine really you don’t need to worry I didn’t see you either. What 's your name?” He said politely and sweetly, taking his phone back. You felt so ashamed. First time you come to an F1 race and you already broke lando’s phone. You felt so embarrassed.

“Really? My name is y/n. Nice to meet you by the way” you said turning red because his sight made you feel so flustered. He had the most beautiful eyes you have ever seen. And in person he was even more handsome that you could appreciate on Pinterest or tumblr. He licked his lips, nodding.

“Nice to meet you too y/n. I’m lando. Did I break your phone?”he asked sweetly. He couldn’t believe how beautiful you were and your voice. Oh he loved your voice and he didn’t even know why.

You denied “oh no it’s fine it’s just the screen. It’s nothing really” you said trying to make sure he didn’t worry about it. You could fix it back home.

La do saw the screen of your phone broken. He considered it was a huge damage “let me make it up to you. It 's on me okay? You’ll just need to give your number so we can talk about it” he said charmingly, probably not losing the opportunity of his life. Your heart started racing like crazy. You giggle shyly and nervous. He found you so gorgeous. He needed to know you. He even wanted to kiss you right there. He gave you his phone so you typed your number.

Y/n 🇦🇷. That was your name on his phone now. You gave it back to him. He smiled watching his screen.

“Oh, are you from Argentina? Is Franco your brother?” He asked to get crucial information. He would die if you were Franco’s girlfriend. He wouldn’t be able to take it. You were too beautiful.

You laughed a little “Nono he is my friend since we were kids but yeah I’m from Argentina. Franco invited me this weekend. My first ever F1 race” you told him. He smiled.

“Really? Is it your first? So sad you didn’t get to see me on the podium. I would've asked you to marry me up there. You’re gorgeous to be honest” he said and you almost died. Actually you thought your soul left your body for a moment.

“Oh wow thank you” you said flustered with a huge smile on your face looking at him nervously. “It is indeed really sad. I would’ve said yes to be honest. You’re gorgeous too, lando” yo said just like him playfully. “ I gotta see leclerc celebrate now but maybe next time we could get married alright? Nos vemos Lando. I’ll be waiting for your text. I’ll be cheering for you next weekend” you said quirky and gave him a kiss on his cheek to keep on walking to the podium.

He watched you leave his side completo stupid because you actually said you would marry him. He didn’t even know you but he already knew how amazing you were and how in love he already was.

The Latina charm he thought.

And of course he will text you. Right there he sent you a text.

“Hasta luego mujer bonita. Don’t forget to save my number like you already have my heart ;)”

It was cheesy. And he used the translator. But he would do anything to make you fall in love with him.

——————————————————————————————

You definitely need to try mate. It’s the best thing in the world I promise :3

Hope you liked it 💌 if you have any ideas my inbox is open so send your requests!