th15IH

Our forest is a lot like the car factory. While some of us might
think of ants as pesky, most ant species help keep the world
rolling along. In fact, of the more than 30,000 ant species in the
world, less than 0.3 percent are pests. The rest have valuable
jobs, and we need them to show up for work each day. Take
some of the species Asian needle ants displace, for example.
Acrobat ants and thief ants help keep the forest canopy healthy
by regulating tree pest populations. Winnow ants move seeds
across the forest floor, controlling the distribution of forest plants
and promoting healthy forest herb diversity and growth. Little
black ants turn the soil, aerating it to keep the trees and shrubs
happy. Taking away all these species and replacing them with just
Asian needle ants can spell trouble for forest health.
School of Ants Map - Asian Needle Ant
North American distribution of the Asian needle ant. Visit
www.schoolofants.org/species/1157 for an interactive version.
Asian needle ants, those little ninjas infiltrating our turf with their
clandestine movements and veiled operations, are a force to be
reckoned with here in the United States. Our ants and forests
aren’t prepared to battle this stealthy foe. They need us to help
them fight back. You and I can use our knowledge to spot them
and work to kick them out. We can let people like the folks at
School of Ants know when we find them, so they can track their
movements across the United States and research ways to keep
them at bay. Asian needle ants might be ninjas, but you and I are
a citizen army. Together, we can beat them.
63