Katie Guhl, an N.Y.C resident, went out one day, first going to a wedding in New Orleans and then to a Memorial Day gathering in New Jersey, leaving her apartment incredibly clean. When she returned, she shockingly found a large pile of ants in her kitchen.
Guhl had a good reason to be confused; she lived on the 6th floor of her apartment, and she left no food for the ants to eat.
This was not the first occurrence in the area; countless other N.YC. apartment residents have also reported instances of ants invading their apartments. These sightings are extremely perplexing because ants aren’t known to live in tall places; they typically stay close to the ground as they prefer soil over anything else.
The species of ant that is being found in these apartments is the Lasius emarginatus, nicknamed the ManhattAnt, and is native to Europe, likely arriving to the U.S. from a ship.
Samantha Kennett studies ManhattAnt and says she “focuses on understanding how this ant, who is now one of the most common ants in New York City, has been able to be so successful, surviving in highly urban habitats”. While studying this ant, she has found it on trees lining Broadway and even all over Times Square. “They are everywhere,” she states.
Dr. Rob Dunn, a professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University whose team discovered the ManhattAnts in N.Y.C., reports that the ants are probably looking for water and probably aren’t staying for long. Dunn states that these ants “nests in the ground” and “prefers to have some natural habitat”. This comes as a relief, as many N.YC. residents still struggle with this ant problem.
Guhl had a good reason to be confused; she lived on the 6th floor of her apartment, and she left no food for the ants to eat.
This was not the first occurrence in the area; countless other N.YC. apartment residents have also reported instances of ants invading their apartments. These sightings are extremely perplexing because ants aren’t known to live in tall places; they typically stay close to the ground as they prefer soil over anything else.
The species of ant that is being found in these apartments is the Lasius emarginatus, nicknamed the ManhattAnt, and is native to Europe, likely arriving to the U.S. from a ship.
Samantha Kennett studies ManhattAnt and says she “focuses on understanding how this ant, who is now one of the most common ants in New York City, has been able to be so successful, surviving in highly urban habitats”. While studying this ant, she has found it on trees lining Broadway and even all over Times Square. “They are everywhere,” she states.
Dr. Rob Dunn, a professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University whose team discovered the ManhattAnts in N.Y.C., reports that the ants are probably looking for water and probably aren’t staying for long. Dunn states that these ants “nests in the ground” and “prefers to have some natural habitat”. This comes as a relief, as many N.YC. residents still struggle with this ant problem.
