Wasmannia auropunctata

Wasmannia auropunctata, the little fire ant. Orlando, Florida, USA

Wasmannia auropunctata

Wasmannia auropunctata, the little fire ant, with eggs & young larvae in the nest. This photograph was taken in the native range of this common pest ant. Maquipucuna reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador

Wasmannia auropunctata

Friend or foe? Two Wasmannia auropunctata meet on a foraging trail and briefly assess each other. Ants from different colonies will attack each other, but these two are nestmates and let each other pass. Gamboa, Panama

Wasmannia auropunctata

Friend or foe? Two Wasmannia auropunctata meet on a foraging trail and briefly assess each other. Ants from different colonies will attack each other, but these two are nestmates and let each other pass. Gamboa, Panama

Wasmannia auropunctata

Wasmannia auropunctata is one of the smallest of the major pest ants. Orlando, Florida, USA

Wasmannia auropunctata

How small is Wasmannia auropunctata, the little fire ant? Small enough to dance on the point of a pencil! Orlando, Florida, USA

Wasmannia auropunctata

Gamboa, Panama

Wasmannia auropunctata

Wasmannia auropunctata Maquipucuna reserve, Pichincha, Ecuador

Wasmannia auropunctata

Little fire ants gather nectar from glands on an Inga leaf. Puerto Maldonado, Tambopata, Peru.

Wasmannia auropunctata

The little fire ant. Orlando, Florida, USA

Wasmannia auropunctata

Wasmannia auropunctata tending to eggs and larvae in the brood nest. Gamboa, Panama

Wasmannia auropunctata

Wasmannia auropunctata, the little fire ant, is one of the world's worst pest ants. Gamboa, Panama

Wasmannia auropunctata

Worker little fire ants feeding on a cookie crumb set out as bait by researchers in Buenos Aires. Shortbread cookies make good baits for myrmicine ants. Buenos Aires, Argentina

Wasmannia auropunctata

Queen ants are the fertile females in the nest specialized for reproduction. In some ant species, such as the little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata, queens are much larger than the sterile workers. Gamboa, Panama

Wasmannia auropunctata

Queen ants are the fertile females in the nest specialized for reproduction. In some ant species, such as the little fire ant Wasmannia auropunctata, queens are much larger than the sterile workers. Gamboa, Panama

Wasmannia auropunctata

Gamboa, Panama

Wasmannia rochai

A worker carries a larva within an arboreal nest in a Tillandsia sp. bromeliad. Armenia, Cayo District, Belize.

Wasmannia rochai

Peeling back a leaf of an epiphytic Tillandsia bromeliad reveals a nest of a rare, canopy-dwelling Wasmannia species. Armenia, Cayo District, Belize.

Wasmannia rochai

Wasmannia is best known for the global pest species W. auropunctata, but the genus contains several other species in Central and South America. Pictured here is Wasmannia rochai, a poorly-known species that inhabits Neotropical rainforest canopies. Armenia, Cayo District, Belize.

Wasmannia sulcaticeps

With so much attention focused on the economically important Wasmannia auropunctata, it is easy to forget the genus contains several less publicized and less common species. This photograph shows a nest of Wasmannia sulcaticeps in the Brazilian cerrado. Carrancas, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Wasmannia sulcaticeps

Carrancas, Minas Gerais, Brazil