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The little black ant (''Monomorium minimum'') is a species of ant native to North America.''Monomorium minimum''.
AntWeb. It is a shiny black color, the workers about 1 to 2 mm long and the queens 4 to 5 mm long. It is a monomorphic species, with only one caste of worker, and polygyne, meaning a nest may have more than one queen. A colony is usually moderately sized with only a few thousand workers. ''Monomorium minimum'' are scavengers that will consume anything from bird droppings to dead insects. They are predators of codling moth larvae, and also of
Effect of ant attendance by ''Monomorium minimum'' (Buckley) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on predation and parasitism of the soybean aphid ''Aphis glycines'' Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae).
''Environmental Entomology'' 37(5), 1258-63. During mid-summer the queens and males perform the nuptial flight, mating in midair. The males die shortly after. Each queen constructs a new nest, sheds its wings, and lays eggs. The development from egg to adult takes about a month. In a laboratory setting queens were found to live about one year and workers about four months.
''Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington'' vol. 14-15.
Entomological Society of Washington, 1913. pg 70.
The Ants of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Center for Urban & Structural Entomology. Texas A&M University Agrilife Extension. 2010. Monomorium Hymenoptera of North America Insects described in 1866 {{myrmicinae-stub
AntWeb. It is a shiny black color, the workers about 1 to 2 mm long and the queens 4 to 5 mm long. It is a monomorphic species, with only one caste of worker, and polygyne, meaning a nest may have more than one queen. A colony is usually moderately sized with only a few thousand workers. ''Monomorium minimum'' are scavengers that will consume anything from bird droppings to dead insects. They are predators of codling moth larvae, and also of
fall webworm
The fall webworm (''Hyphantria cunea'') is a moth in the family Erebidae known principally for its larval stage, which creates the characteristic webbed nests on the tree limbs of a wide variety of hardwoods in the late summer and fall. It is con ...
. Workers may forage in households, but nest in soil mounds. They harvest the honeydew of aphids such as the soybean aphid
The soybean aphid (''Aphis glycines'') is an insect pest of soybean (''Glycine max'') that is exotic to North America. The soybean aphid is native to Asia. It has been described as a common pest of soybeans in China and as an occasional pest of ...
(''Aphis glycines'').Herbert, J. J. and D. J. Horn. (2008)Effect of ant attendance by ''Monomorium minimum'' (Buckley) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on predation and parasitism of the soybean aphid ''Aphis glycines'' Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae).
''Environmental Entomology'' 37(5), 1258-63. During mid-summer the queens and males perform the nuptial flight, mating in midair. The males die shortly after. Each queen constructs a new nest, sheds its wings, and lays eggs. The development from egg to adult takes about a month. In a laboratory setting queens were found to live about one year and workers about four months.
References
External links
*''Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington'' vol. 14-15.
Entomological Society of Washington, 1913. pg 70.
The Ants of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.
Center for Urban & Structural Entomology. Texas A&M University Agrilife Extension. 2010. Monomorium Hymenoptera of North America Insects described in 1866 {{myrmicinae-stub