Black house ant (Ochetellus glaber)
Pest Snapshot - Black House Ant
- Scientific name: Ochetellus glaber
- Identification: Dark brown to black (brown legs and antennae). Size: 2.0 – 2.5 mm. Create obvious foraging trails.
- Health threat: Low
- Bite / sting pain: Does not sting
- Difficulty to control: Easy
- Diet: Honeydew
- Nest locations: Gardens, wall cavities, roof voids
- Colony structure: Single queen, single nest
- Main pest season: Summer / Autumn
- Indoor/Outdoor pest: Mainly indoors
Black house ant information
Invasive / native:
Native
Distribution:
Black house ants are found across Australia, but more commonly in coastal areas of the east coast round to Adelaide, although it has been recorded in Tasmania and southwest of Western Australia.
Typical nest location:
Black house ants are found naturally in open or savannah woodland areas. They will nest both on the ground (under rocks and logs) and above ground in hollows in trees. They commonly nest in urban areas, in gardens and buildings. In buildings they often nest in wall cavities and also roof voids, where they will nest on or between sheet insulation. They are also known to infest electrical goods.
Colony size / structure:
The black house ant produce single queen, single nest colonies. Typically they will found new colonies through nuptial flights.
Identification:
Colour: Dark brown to black (brown legs and antennae)
Size: 2.0 – 2.5 mm
Nodes on petiole: 1 (prominent and flat)
Food preferences:
Although omnivorous, black house ants have a strong preference for sugar and will often be seen trailing into trees to collect honey dew from sap feeding insects.
Distinguishing features / behaviours:
- Sometimes confused with the white footed house ant, but can be distinguished by its prominent, flat petiole
- Can often be seen trailing on the outside walls of buildings as they move between their nest and feeding sites
Bite / sting:
- Black house ants do not bite or sting
Prevention tips:
No are no tips to prevent them nesting in buildings, but good hygiene, in terms of clearing away food and storing food in closed containers will prevent ants foraging inside.
Other comments:
Can sometimes be confused with the white footed house ant and Argentine ant
How to get rid of black house ants
Black house ants are one of the easiest ants to control. With their strong preference for sugar and their single queen / single nest colony structure, pest professionals will often use sugar based baits to eliminate the colony. This is especially the case if the nest is inside the house.
For nests outside the home, the professional pest treatment will often also include a spray around the perimeter of the building to prevent ants entering.
Pest managers uitlise a range of specialist ant products not available in hardware stores.
Homeowners can minimise the chances of black house ants nesting inside their homes or coming inside the house looking for food, by making sure there are no readily available sources of water and sugary foods (sugar, honey, sweet drinks, etc).
Black house ant FAQ
Do black house ants bite?
Black house ants are not aggressive and they do not sting. If they do try and bite you, you will barely feel it.
Do black ants eat termites?
It is a common urban myth that if you have black ants around your house, you won’t have termites. THIS IS WRONG!
Whereas some ant species will prey on termites, termites are generally protected from ant attack, as the move underground and inside their mud tubes.
And when you think about it, the perimeter of your house is a large area and the ants aren’t exactly patrolling up and down the perimeter looking for termites. If you want to keep your home safe from termites, you need to have the necessary termite protection and annual termite inspections.
Can black ants damage your house?
Black house ants can sometimes damage your house, if they build their nest around electrical outlets in wall voids, when they can damage wiring. Not only can this short the circuit, it can sometimes lead to house fires.
The black ants that can sometime cause physical damage to the wood in houses are carpenter ants, although this is generally only if the wood has other issues such as high moisture levels or signs of decay.
Go to the main ants page for other types of ants.
