Recently, across New York, there have been countless sightings of the ant species called Lasius emarginatus in apartments that have never had an ant problem before. These pests are often seen inside the tall New York buildings, and they spread all over the place.
Lasius emarginatus, also known as ManhattAnts were originated in Europe. These ants have a reddish-brown thorax and a dark brown head and abdomen. These ants are a mystery to everyone. Biologist Rob Dunn from North Carolina State University and his team discovered the insect species “by accident” at Columbia University, and now they are trying to learn more about this type of ant. “It’s a relative of the cornfield ant, and it looks like it’s from Europe, but we can’t match it up with any of the European species,” he said. The first sighting of the ManhattAnt in New York was 2011, and over the last decade these ants have been thriving in New York.
A lot of sightings have been found inside New York residential apartments. An ant infestation witness wrote on r/Brooklyn on Reddit saying , “Woke up this morning to ants crawling around my living room. I live on the 3rd floor and have never had problems with any insects.”
Another resident from Brooklyn resident, Melissa Russel Paige, has lived in the same apartment on the second floor for 8 years. She has “never saw an ant even once” but they just suddenly showed up one day. Her upstairs neighbor also saw the ants too. The reporter of “In N.Y.C. Apartments, the Ants Go Marching Up” have also seen ManhattAnts inside her apartment in Manhattan on the fifth floor.
Ms. Samantha Kennett, a graduate student a Kennesaw State University studies urban ant ecology and she is interested in this species of ants. “My research 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,” said Ms. Kennett. Her theory is that the ants arrived to the US by ship, and now these ants are taking over the whole state.
Ms Kennett says that these ants climb a lot, especially on structures in New York City, to expand their habitat. How high the ManhattAnt will climb is unknown. She also started an online initiative called Project ManhattAnt, and the goal is to let New Yorkers report their sightings so they can help scientists have a better understanding and can track these insects as they spread.
Source:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469576418x451469103498758800/In%20N.Y.C.%20Apartments%2C%20the%20Ants%20Go%20Marching%20Up%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://blog.therainforestsite.greatergood.com/manhattant-species/
Lasius emarginatus, also known as ManhattAnts were originated in Europe. These ants have a reddish-brown thorax and a dark brown head and abdomen. These ants are a mystery to everyone. Biologist Rob Dunn from North Carolina State University and his team discovered the insect species “by accident” at Columbia University, and now they are trying to learn more about this type of ant. “It’s a relative of the cornfield ant, and it looks like it’s from Europe, but we can’t match it up with any of the European species,” he said. The first sighting of the ManhattAnt in New York was 2011, and over the last decade these ants have been thriving in New York.
A lot of sightings have been found inside New York residential apartments. An ant infestation witness wrote on r/Brooklyn on Reddit saying , “Woke up this morning to ants crawling around my living room. I live on the 3rd floor and have never had problems with any insects.”
Another resident from Brooklyn resident, Melissa Russel Paige, has lived in the same apartment on the second floor for 8 years. She has “never saw an ant even once” but they just suddenly showed up one day. Her upstairs neighbor also saw the ants too. The reporter of “In N.Y.C. Apartments, the Ants Go Marching Up” have also seen ManhattAnts inside her apartment in Manhattan on the fifth floor.
Ms. Samantha Kennett, a graduate student a Kennesaw State University studies urban ant ecology and she is interested in this species of ants. “My research 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,” said Ms. Kennett. Her theory is that the ants arrived to the US by ship, and now these ants are taking over the whole state.
Ms Kennett says that these ants climb a lot, especially on structures in New York City, to expand their habitat. How high the ManhattAnt will climb is unknown. She also started an online initiative called Project ManhattAnt, and the goal is to let New Yorkers report their sightings so they can help scientists have a better understanding and can track these insects as they spread.
Source:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1657469576418x451469103498758800/In%20N.Y.C.%20Apartments%2C%20the%20Ants%20Go%20Marching%20Up%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
https://blog.therainforestsite.greatergood.com/manhattant-species/
