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Meet the Asian Needle Ant
The Asian needle ant (a.k.a. Brachyponera chinensis or
Pachycondyla chinensis) reminds me of a ninja superspy. Sleek,
sneaky, and all dressed in black, ninjas, at least in bad movies,
are masters of disguise and inevitably up to no good. The same
holds true for the furtive Asian needle ant; this stealth operative is
sneaking across forests and backyards throughout the Eastern
United States.
Asian needle ants originally snuck into the United States from
Japan. Nobody knows how they got here, but they have been
moving log to log since at least the 1930s. Slender, shiny, and
black with lighter orange legs, Asian needle ants look like they are
dressed for subterfuge. At about 0.2 inch long, one worker is
almost as long as a kernel of un-popped popcorn.
Asian needle ants aren’t fussy when it comes to where they make
their homes. In the woods, Asian needle ants nest in logs or
under rocks and leaves. Sometimes their nests look like caverns
connected by tubes and stuffed with eggs and ants. Other times
Urban Life
Where it lives: In forests, Asian needle ants
nest in rotting logs, under leaves and mulch,
and under rocks. In human environments,
Asian needle ants can nest anywhere from
potted plants to under doormats, in
landscaping materials, and under dog bowls.
What it eats: While they loves termites, Asian
needle ants will eat pretty much anything they
can find, from dead insects to other ants to
human garbage.
NYC notes: In New York state, the Asian
needle ant has been found several times, but
in New York City it has been spotted just once,
in one median, and when Marko Pećarević
went back to look for it the next year, it was
gone, missing without explanation like the lost
colonists of Roanoke.
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