Over the past decade, the Lasius emarginatus ant species has infested high rise buildings in New York and is now the most common ant in New York City. This ant is native to Europe and most likely came over to the US by a ship.
The ant was first spotted in 2011, and has been thriving in New York since it arrived. As a result, it has been nicknamed the ManhattAnt because of its prevalence. It has also spread to areas such as New Jersey and Long Island.
Samantha Kennett, a graduate student at Kennesaw, studies urban ant ecology. She says she has found the ant in trees in Broadway and Times Square. She says “they are everywhere.” They will climb to high places, such as trees and upper buildings in an apartment complex. They were only found to go as high as the second floor in Europe, but now in NYC, they climb higher.
Kennett started Project ManhattAnt in the hopes of getting New Yorkers to report any sightings of the ant to help scientist track the insect’s expansion. The Lasius emarginatus is distinguished by a red-brown thorax with a dark brown head and stomach.
Dr. Robb Dunn, a professor at North Carolina State University, believes ManhattAnts are only looking for water in apartments, and are not likely to stay. In fact, “in all the studies [he and his team have] done, [the ant] prefers to have some natural habitat.”
Additionally, the ManhattAnt is not interested in human food. Most ants, when living in urban areas, shift their diet towards consuming for human foods. However, the ManhattAnt has not done that despite living in an urban area for almost a decade. They prefer to eat other insects and honeydew, which according to Kennett is a “sugary secretion made by aphids and tree pests.”
The ManhattAnt is not invincible. People have used liquid ant baits that got rid of the ant quickly. However, Jerry Walsh of Mayday Hardware warns citizens against the use of powerful ant baits because “[they’re] a little too potent to use indoors because the ant does not drop dead on the spot. They will carry poison wherever they travel.”
In order to prevent a complete takeover of the ManhattAnt, citizens must report any sightings of the ManhattAnt to Project ManhattAnt. Although this issue is disturbing to see in one’s apartment, people can mitigate the effects.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469576418x451469103498758800/In%20N.Y.C.%20Apartments%2C%20the%20Ants%20Go%20Marching%20Up%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
The ant was first spotted in 2011, and has been thriving in New York since it arrived. As a result, it has been nicknamed the ManhattAnt because of its prevalence. It has also spread to areas such as New Jersey and Long Island.
Samantha Kennett, a graduate student at Kennesaw, studies urban ant ecology. She says she has found the ant in trees in Broadway and Times Square. She says “they are everywhere.” They will climb to high places, such as trees and upper buildings in an apartment complex. They were only found to go as high as the second floor in Europe, but now in NYC, they climb higher.
Kennett started Project ManhattAnt in the hopes of getting New Yorkers to report any sightings of the ant to help scientist track the insect’s expansion. The Lasius emarginatus is distinguished by a red-brown thorax with a dark brown head and stomach.
Dr. Robb Dunn, a professor at North Carolina State University, believes ManhattAnts are only looking for water in apartments, and are not likely to stay. In fact, “in all the studies [he and his team have] done, [the ant] prefers to have some natural habitat.”
Additionally, the ManhattAnt is not interested in human food. Most ants, when living in urban areas, shift their diet towards consuming for human foods. However, the ManhattAnt has not done that despite living in an urban area for almost a decade. They prefer to eat other insects and honeydew, which according to Kennett is a “sugary secretion made by aphids and tree pests.”
The ManhattAnt is not invincible. People have used liquid ant baits that got rid of the ant quickly. However, Jerry Walsh of Mayday Hardware warns citizens against the use of powerful ant baits because “[they’re] a little too potent to use indoors because the ant does not drop dead on the spot. They will carry poison wherever they travel.”
In order to prevent a complete takeover of the ManhattAnt, citizens must report any sightings of the ManhattAnt to Project ManhattAnt. Although this issue is disturbing to see in one’s apartment, people can mitigate the effects.
Sources:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469576418x451469103498758800/In%20N.Y.C.%20Apartments%2C%20the%20Ants%20Go%20Marching%20Up%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf