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Meet the Little Black Ant
When I was little, we had a nest of what I later learned were little
black ants under a cherry tree in our yard. In the thick of summer,
tired of digging foxholes all over the yard, my brother, Will, and I
would follow them. We’d grip the trunk with our monkey toes and
climb to the outside branches. We’d lean out as far as we could
to see what they were up to. So long as we stayed out of their
way, they never seemed to mind. They went about their business
beneath the leaves and around the branches as we went about
ours.
Little black ants are among our cutest most-common ants. As
their common and scientific names suggest, little black ants are
much smaller than many of the other ants you see hanging
around your house and yard. Their glossy sheen adds a touch of
determination to their comings and goings. It’s as if they take
themselves too seriously, little polished wingtips toddling to and
from their important ant business.
Urban Life
Where it lives: Little black ants can make their
nests outdoors, in forests, or right in your
backyard, often under rocks and tree bark.
What it eats: Sugary liquid called honeydew,
made by small insects called aphids and
scales. Also, dead insects, spiders, and your
trash.
NYC notes: Although these ants are generally
abundant where people live, they don’t seem
to survive everywhere in New York. They need,
for reasons we don’t know, parks.
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