Behavior
- Feed on dead and living insects,
aphid and scale honeydew, and juices of ripe fruit; prefer sweets
- Do not feed on wood
- Travel in loose trails
- Forage mostly late in the day or at night
- Prefer moist or humid environments
- Piles of sawdust-like frass and insect
parts deposited outside or nearby nests
- Bore into wood to make nests, sometimes causing serious structural
damage
|
Nest
type and size
- Main colony often outside on tree stumps, dead tree, firewood
pile, or fence post
- Consist of extensive networks of galleries usually begun in
areas of wood, soft from decay
- May contain several thousand individuals; indoor nests may be
satellite colonies of a larger nest
outdoors
- Up to 20 satellite colonies can be associated with main colony
that contains the queen(s)
- Indoor colonies always associated with moisture and may occur
in hollow doors, window or door frames, or the subfloor
Quick
Management Tips
|
