Towards the end of May, many New York City apartment owners found unexpected intruders in their homes—ants. While rats and cockroach infestations are common in the urban area of New York, ant invasions were very unprecedented, especially on the high floors of the New York City skyscrapers.
Melissa Russel Paige, who had not seen a single ant in her eight years of living in her Brooklyn apartment, says that the ants “just showed up one day.” Both she and her upstairs neighbor had been using liquid ant traps in an attempt to halt the ants.
Samantha Kennett, a Kennesaw State graduate, specializes in urban ant ecology. She suspects that these invasions are the doing of the Lasius emarginatus, a species of ant originally from Europe, believed to be shipped to the U.S. on cargo ships. They’ve been thriving so much in fact, that they’ve been deemed the ManhattAnt.
These able-bodied ants usually prefer climbing and foraging around in trees. But in the city, places as high as the 25th floor of a building have been victims of these infestations. Scientists have yet to discover why and how these ants are able to accomplish such a feat.
Although these ants seem to dwell in urban areas across New York City, they aren’t interested in chips, bread crumbs, or anything that humans tend to eat regularly. Unlike many other urbanized critters that adapt to human cuisine, these ants only have an appetite for two things: other insects and honeydew, a “sugary secretion made by aphids and tree pests.”
The likely reason these ants invade apartments is for water, and won’t be staying for a prolonged time. They seem to enjoy residing in their natural homes—holes in the ground and under logs.
Ms. Kennett has since started an online initiative called Project ManhattAnt. She hopes that this would allow New Yorkers to share their experiences with the critters in order to learn more about the ManhattAnt and where it has infested.
“We’ve started to see populations pop up in New Jersey and as far as Long Island,” said Kennett regarding the project.
These creatures, however, aren’t a threat to one’s home. They can easily be treated with liquid ant baits or traps. However, many hardware stores don’t recommend using extremely powerful ant baits indoors, as the potent smell and the poison residue could cause illness.
Melissa Russel Paige, who had not seen a single ant in her eight years of living in her Brooklyn apartment, says that the ants “just showed up one day.” Both she and her upstairs neighbor had been using liquid ant traps in an attempt to halt the ants.
Samantha Kennett, a Kennesaw State graduate, specializes in urban ant ecology. She suspects that these invasions are the doing of the Lasius emarginatus, a species of ant originally from Europe, believed to be shipped to the U.S. on cargo ships. They’ve been thriving so much in fact, that they’ve been deemed the ManhattAnt.
These able-bodied ants usually prefer climbing and foraging around in trees. But in the city, places as high as the 25th floor of a building have been victims of these infestations. Scientists have yet to discover why and how these ants are able to accomplish such a feat.
Although these ants seem to dwell in urban areas across New York City, they aren’t interested in chips, bread crumbs, or anything that humans tend to eat regularly. Unlike many other urbanized critters that adapt to human cuisine, these ants only have an appetite for two things: other insects and honeydew, a “sugary secretion made by aphids and tree pests.”
The likely reason these ants invade apartments is for water, and won’t be staying for a prolonged time. They seem to enjoy residing in their natural homes—holes in the ground and under logs.
Ms. Kennett has since started an online initiative called Project ManhattAnt. She hopes that this would allow New Yorkers to share their experiences with the critters in order to learn more about the ManhattAnt and where it has infested.
“We’ve started to see populations pop up in New Jersey and as far as Long Island,” said Kennett regarding the project.
These creatures, however, aren’t a threat to one’s home. They can easily be treated with liquid ant baits or traps. However, many hardware stores don’t recommend using extremely powerful ant baits indoors, as the potent smell and the poison residue could cause illness.
