HARVESTER ANTS

Identification, Facts, & Control

Latin Name

Pogonomyrmex badius

Appearance

Harvester Ants - Mike Lewinski from Tres Piedras, NM, United States [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]

6.5 to 10 mm long and red in color

Harvester Ant - Red to dark brown or black color. They have long hairs forming a "brush" under their chins. They nest in dry, exposed soil, never in houses. They clear vegetation from around their nest opening, and create a bare area. They typically eat small seeds and insects.

Control for Harvester Ants:

Typically not a problem for homes, but may cause problems in or around the lawn.
Currently available insecticides should be applied around the entrance hole and out to the edge of the mound area so foraging ants will carry the pesticide into the nest.
Since most foraging is within 50 feet/ 15 m of the nest, a treatment of a residual chemical within this area should prove effective.
Burrow fumigant such as the liquid fumigants if labeled should be effective.

Click on a species of ants below to learn further information.