What Types of Ants Bite or Sting?

Author: Emma Grace Crumbley, Entomologist 

There's nothing quite like the sting of, well, an ant sting. For those of us who have had the displeasure of being stung by an ant, many memories come to mind: the initial, piercing sting, the little red welt left behind, and the blister soon to follow. Fortunately, not all ants sting or even bite, for that matter. But with nearly 1,000 species of ants in the US, you'll likely encounter an ant or two… and their stings.

Ant Biology

When an ant feels attacked and wants to defend itself and its colony, it will first try to climb onto its host and use its mandibles to secure itself. That's right—the first step to an ant sting is actually an ant bite! Once they secure themselves by biting down on their attacker, ants then arch their abdomens under them and use their ovipositors to pierce the skin, injecting an irritating venom into their target. The intensity of the venom affects the pain level of the sting.

For smaller targets, like other bugs, ant venom can cause paralysis and even death. Fortunately, most ants living in the US do not have venom lethal enough to kill large mammals and humans.

Almost all ants can bite you or sting you, but not all are so easily threatened by people. Male ants cannot sting (they lack ovipositors, the organ that lets ants lay eggs and sting). But female ants, which make up the majority of the colony, can sting. In fact, scientists have found that female ants outnumber males by three to one. That's a lot of ovipositors. However, several species of ants either only bite or do not bite or sting at all.

Stinging Ants

Let's get the worst ants out of the way. Though you may encounter many stinging ants in the US, three key species leave behind… memorable stings.

Fire ants

• Description: 0.25in long, red or red-brown, square heads as large as abdomens
• Range: Found throughout the southern US, and entomologists agree that their range will continue to spread in the coming years.
• Behavior: Aggressive when threatened, will swarm and bite more than once.
• Sting: Painful at sting sight, itchiness develops hours after sting, blister may develop.

Harvester Ants

• Description: 5-8mm long with long legs, a red or orange appearance, and two nodes between their thorax and abdomen.
• Range: Found throughout the southwest and southeastern US.
• Behavior: Aggressive when threatened.
• Sting: While most species inflict a painful sting, two species (the Maricopa harvester ant in the southwest and the Florida harvester ant in the southeast) have venom that can be deadly for people and animals.

Biting Ants

Not all ants can sting. Luckily for them, not for us, these ants can still inflict a powerful bite.

Little Black Ants

• Description: 1.5-2mm long, dark black, and shiny.
• Range: Found throughout the US.
• Behavior: Not aggressive, but persistent nuisance pests.
• Bite: Typically, mild and not very painful, mouthparts are tiny.

Carpenter Ants

• Description: 0.25in long with dark, hairy abdomen.
• Range: Found throughout the US.
• Behavior: Only bite when threatened; otherwise, tend to stay hidden in infested wood.
• Bite: Strong mouthparts lead to very painful bites. Formic acid may be injected during the bite, causing a burning sensation.

Annoying Ants

No stinger? No problem! Although they won’t bite or sting, these ants still manage to annoy us.

Odorous House Ants

• Description: 2.4-3.3mm long, completely black, abdomens larger than heads.
• Range: Found throughout the US.
• Behavior: Active foragers that move quickly during day and night and trail in single-file lines.
• Control: Prefer sugar-based baits and grease, often found infesting pet food.

Pharaoh Ants

• Description: 1.5-2.0mm long and slender, tan or light brown with a slightly dark abdomen tip.
• Range: Found throughout the US, prominent in warm environments.
• Behavior: Not aggressive and not easily threatened, even by other ants.
• Control: Typically infest near areas of warmth, such as appliances and hot water lines.                                                                        

Feeling Antsy?

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