Cornfield Ants

Cornfield Ant : This ant obviously gets its name from the fact that they are found in the Pacific NW in locations with high moisture content. It is also known as the cornfield ant because it is closely associated with the corn root aphid.

Cornfield ants (Lasius species) are relatively small ants (less than 1/8 inch) that are usually light to medium-brown colored. They nest outdoors but sometimes will enter buildings to feed on sweet materials.

Its homes and habits have been chiefly studied in corn fields, and there it forms rather extensive settlements, mainly centered in the hills of corn, several adjacent hills so occupied by it being connected by underground channels by way of which members of the same family may pass from hills.

Cornfield Ants of all stages contained in 20 nests dug out in an oats field.The fact that the larger numbers are all multiples of 10 or 5.The cornfield ant is particularly fond of sweets, but it will readily feed on both live and dead insects. Indoors, this ant will be attracted to sweet foods, but may feed on literally any crumbs that fall to the floor.

Life Cycle Females and males hatching from pupae as winged ants in the underground nests from June to October, swarm out of their burrows as if by common consent in August or September. Males and females came rapidly up from their burrows under ground and, climbing the nearest blades of grass, took flight one by one, in various directions, the workers in the meantime running rapidly about in a state of great excitement.

The males perish before winter, and the scattered females go into the ground, each making for herself an oval or spherical cavity, the beginning of a new family home. Some of these buried females begin to lay eggs in summer and fall August 15 to November 10, as we have seen them but others live there alone until spring, depositing their first eggs, according to our observations, from the first to the middle of May, and continuing to lay additional eggs, a few at a time, until September. The first larvae to appear are fed by the female from the contents of her own stomach, which, as she is said to take no food during this period, are believed to come from the nutriment stored up in her own body.

infesting in advanced damp rotting wood, but they also bring in more moisture themselves. One location they are known to be in because of the notorious moisture problems is in bathrooms behind tub wall tiles or in the bath trap. Tile looks great, but you can’t see behind the tile to know if you have a moisture trouble. A serious moisture meter is able to detect if you have a problem. The obvious way to know is when you have tiles coming loose and falling off.

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