Big-headed Ant

Size:

This type of ant has two distinct sizes of workers. The larger ones, called major workers, typically range in size from 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch in length, depending on the species. The major worker is easily identified by the extremely large size of its head in comparison to its body. The head of the minor worker is in proportion to its body.

Color:

Most are reddish brown in color.

Behavior:

Big-headed ants, like all ants, establish well-defined trails between the nest and food and water sources. They feed on a wide variety of foods including dead insects, plant materials, and garbage. The workers are partial to the sweet honeydew produced by aphids, scales, and mealybugs found feeding on many trees and plants. Fruit trees, roses, and many shrubs serve as hosts for aphids and may contribute to ant infestations in homes and other buildings. One species, Pheidole megacephala, establishes large “supercolonies” consisting of dozens, if not hundreds, of subcolonies connected by interlocking trails. These supercolonies have been found to extend over large portions of a city block, making control efforts on a single property quite difficult to achieve. This species is more common in Florida and Hawaii but can be encountered all along the southeast Gulf Coast. They have been known to construct mud tubes that can resemble those made by subterranean termites, although this behavior is not common.