Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The ghost ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius), was considered a nuisance ant that was occasionally important as a house pest within Florida as late as 1988. Field populations were confined to South Florida although active colonies had been reported as far north as Gainesville, in Alachua Count...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: J. C. Nickerson, C. L. Bloomcamp, Thomas R. Fasulo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries 2004-10-01
Series:EDIS
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/113285
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1823865994017243136
author J. C. Nickerson
C. L. Bloomcamp
Thomas R. Fasulo
author_facet J. C. Nickerson
C. L. Bloomcamp
Thomas R. Fasulo
author_sort J. C. Nickerson
collection DOAJ
description The ghost ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius), was considered a nuisance ant that was occasionally important as a house pest within Florida as late as 1988. Field populations were confined to South Florida although active colonies had been reported as far north as Gainesville, in Alachua County (Bloomcamp and Bieman, personal communication) and Duval County, (Mattis et al. 2004). But by 1995, if not before, the ghost ant was common in central and southern Florida and had been elevated to major pest status (Klotz et al. 1995). In more northerly states, infestations are confined to greenhouses or other buildings that provide conditions necessary for survival, as the ant is a tropical species either of African or Oriental origin (Wheeler 1910). However, this introduced ant species is so widely distributed by commerce that it is impossible to determine its original home (Smith 1965). This document is EENY-310 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circular 307), one of a series of Featured Creatures from the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: October 2003. EENY310/IN532: Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) (ufl.edu)
format Article
id doaj-art-d3a2d92a796a4421ab8a6f390f28a2d6
institution Kabale University
issn 2576-0009
language English
publishDate 2004-10-01
publisher The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries
record_format Article
series EDIS
spelling doaj-art-d3a2d92a796a4421ab8a6f390f28a2d62025-02-08T06:26:56ZengThe University of Florida George A. Smathers LibrariesEDIS2576-00092004-10-01200414Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)J. C. NickersonC. L. Bloomcamp0Thomas R. Fasulo1SyngentaUniversity of Florida The ghost ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius), was considered a nuisance ant that was occasionally important as a house pest within Florida as late as 1988. Field populations were confined to South Florida although active colonies had been reported as far north as Gainesville, in Alachua County (Bloomcamp and Bieman, personal communication) and Duval County, (Mattis et al. 2004). But by 1995, if not before, the ghost ant was common in central and southern Florida and had been elevated to major pest status (Klotz et al. 1995). In more northerly states, infestations are confined to greenhouses or other buildings that provide conditions necessary for survival, as the ant is a tropical species either of African or Oriental origin (Wheeler 1910). However, this introduced ant species is so widely distributed by commerce that it is impossible to determine its original home (Smith 1965). This document is EENY-310 (originally published as DPI Entomology Circular 307), one of a series of Featured Creatures from the Entomology and Nematology Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Published: October 2003. EENY310/IN532: Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae) (ufl.edu) https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/113285IN532
spellingShingle J. C. Nickerson
C. L. Bloomcamp
Thomas R. Fasulo
Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
EDIS
IN532
title Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
title_full Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
title_fullStr Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
title_full_unstemmed Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
title_short Ghost Ant, Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius) (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
title_sort ghost ant tapinoma melanocephalum fabricius insecta hymenoptera formicidae
topic IN532
url https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/113285
work_keys_str_mv AT jcnickerson ghostanttapinomamelanocephalumfabriciusinsectahymenopteraformicidae
AT clbloomcamp ghostanttapinomamelanocephalumfabriciusinsectahymenopteraformicidae
AT thomasrfasulo ghostanttapinomamelanocephalumfabriciusinsectahymenopteraformicidae