1) How big is a colony? The biggest colonies in the Western Hemisphere are over one million ants.These are subterranean colonies of Labidus. The biggest colonies of the large swarm raider, Eciton burchellii are about 700,000. The biggest colonies of the African Driver Ants range from 20 to 24 million. This web site does not discuss the Eastern Hemisphere army ants in the subfamily Dorylinae. All the information below pertains to the Western Hemisphere subfamily Ecitoninae.

2) How big are the ants?  The largest worker army ant is 14mm long, slightly more than one-half inch (Eciton dulcium). The most conspicuous large swarm raider, Eciton burchellii, is 11 mm long. The queens and males are approximately twice as long as the largest workers in each species. The smallest workers of Eciton burchellii are 3mm long. All intermediate sizes are found between the smallest workers and the largest. The biggest workers are called majors or soldiers. The soldiers of all Eciton species except E. rapax have large hook like jaws. The smallest worker army ant is 0.8 mm long, Neivamyrmex pauxillus. That species has only been found two times since it was first discovered in 1903.

3) Where do they live?  They range throughout the southern United States, from Virginia south to Florida, south from Nebraska and Iowa, and from central California south to northern Argentina. Most species are subterranean and rarely seen. The large swarm raider, Eciton burchellii is found from Mexico to southern Brazil. It is primarily found in moist tropical forests.

4) Are they dangerous?  Army ants will bite and sting. They are not dangerous unless you are allergic to their stings. They will bite almost anything in their path but any healthy vertebrate animal can walk away from them without harm.

5) Are they beneficial?  Yes, army ants are beneficial from a human viewpoint. People who live in the tropics where army ants are most abundant welcome raids of army ants in their homes and agricultural fields. The ants will capture or flush out any scorpions, cockroaches, and other insects living in your home. They will chase out snakes and mice but rarely kill them. In agricultural fields and plantations, the ants kill many pests.

6) Do they eat our human food?  When army ants raid in homes of people, they rarely eat foods that we eat. They may eat nutmeats and drink a little cooking oil, but they usually avoid all fruit, vegetables and meats that we eat.

7) How many queens are in a colony? Most army ant colonies have a single queen that lays all the eggs. There is one species of army ant, Neivamyrmex carolinensis, that has several queens that simultaneously lay eggs.

8) What does the nest or bivouac look like?  Bivouacs look like dark masses. From a distance you cannot recognize ants but from close-up you can see the bivouac is made of the bodies of the ants with their legs holding the mass together.

9) What is a brood?  A brood is the group of 100,000 - 200,000 eggs that were laid by the queen in 10-15 days. They will hatch into a brood of larvae that will produce a brood of cocoons when they finish feeding. The only time a colony has two broods is in the statary phase when the old brood is in cocoons and the queen has laid the next brood of eggs.

10) What is the nomadic phase?  The nomadic phase is the period of about 14 days when a colony has a brood of larvae, and the colony emigrates nightly to a new nest site.

11) What is the statary phase?  The statary phase is the period of about three weeks when the brood is all in cocoons. The colony is usually in an enclosed bivouac site and it does not emigrate.

12) What is an emigration?  An emigration is when the entire colony moves to a new bivouac site. The adults carry all the brood and any prey left over in the old bivouac. Many of the associates in the colony such as beetles and flies emigrate along with the ants.

13) What is a raid?  A raid is the time when thousands of ants leave the bivouac and forage for food. All army ants feed primarily on the other ants and small arthropods. The species Eciton burchellii usually starts a raid about 6:00 am and it continues throughout the day. An emigration usually starts after 4:00 pm and may continue to about 2:00 am.

14) What do army ants eat?  All army ants are carnivorous. They feed primarily on other ants, but never other army ants. They also eat spiders, scorpions, centipedes and other arthropods. They may kill small vertebrates like snakes, lizards and frogs, but they cannot eat them.

15) What animals eat army ants?  The only animal that is known to eat large numbers of army ants is a rove beetle, Staphylinidae. Mammals such as ant eaters will not eat army ants. The antbirds that follow army ant swarm raids eat an occasional ant that is attached to the animal the bird is eating.

16) How do you identify Army Ants?  A stereo microscope and good literature are required. Some of the large species can be identified by using the website produced by the Snellings. It is www.armyants.org.

Still Available!
Astonishing Army Ants DVD
DVD based on 35 years of research in Central and South America
60 hours of video has been edited to 55 minutes to show a complete picture of the behavior of the Large Swarm Raiding Army Ant, Eciton burchellii.

Available January 2010!
The DVD ASSOCIATES of Eciton burchellii completed by Julia Joseph and Marian Rettenmeyer following the death of Carl Rettenmeyer on April 9, 2009, is now available for purchase. Because we believe it is extremely important that the scientific specimens described in this DVD be carefully preserved and that future study of these specimens be supported, we are now offering to send a copy of the new DVD for your contribution of $25.00 or more to the Carl and Marian Rettenmeyer Ant Guest Endowment

To Receive DVDs With Your Donation, Download Order Form Here