Habitat

The Monomorium minimum is also known as the “Little Black Ant” (Bhatkar, 1992). This species is native to North America. It is  located in Southeastern Canada and Northern and Eastern regions of the United States (Stanley et al. 2012).  It is one of the 326 minimum ant species that resides in North America (Bhatkar 1992).  This species is extremely common within the United States; however, these ants are fairly rare to find in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States (Entomology Collection 2013).  M. minimum mainly resides in Texas, Louisiana, Kansas,Permission to use image. 2013. Copyright 2013 Sam Houston Wisconsin, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Washington, Washington D.C., Florida, Idaho, and Canada (Bhatkar 1992). This ant has somehow been introduced to the country of Malaysia in Asia, and Hawaii within the United States (Stanley et al. 2012).

 

M. minimum has also taken up residence within the Western Cape of South Africa according to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility database. Up to this point, there have not been any negative allegations that have been attributed to the incorporation of this organism into these new areas.

 

This species of ant tolerates various amplitudes and habitat conditions. They live in regions where they are at sea level to where they are approximately 2,438 meters above sea level (Stanley et al. 2012). They seek out and live in dry soil habitats, sandy or grassland like areas, forest, meadows, woodlands, prairie, desert, exposed bedrock, and even roadside (Bhatkar 1992, Stanley et al. 2012, Entomology Collection 2013). However, M. minimum prefers to take up residence in moist habitats near wooded areas (Bhatkar 1992, Stanley et al. 2012).

 

This type of ant is most commonly known for being a pest to many homeowners. They force themselves into the homes of many individuals, and make their way into the masonry and woodwork in the United States (Smith 1965, Keck 2005, Stanley et al. 2012). These ants continue to be prevalent outside the home as well. They can be found in potted plants and flowerpots, brick walkways and patios, fence posts, stumps, mulched areas, and landscape stone (Bhatkar 1992, Stanley et al. 2012, Entomology Collection 2013). M. minimum like to make their nests in a manner of various ways: such as in open soil or sandy areas, or under the cover of numerous different objects such as stones, rotting wood or bark (Bhatkar 1992, Keck 2005). As adaptive as these ants are to their surroundings, they do prefer the covered areas as opposed to being out in the open if they have the option.
Permission to use image. 2013. Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, License CC-BY-SA 3.0          

As mentioned above, this organism has a variable climate and other environmental conditions within its habitat. Due to their wide range of living circumstances, they are able to inhabit many regions of North America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interested in finding out how these ants move and behave? Click Form & Function for more information.

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