Field Ant Facts

• Alternative names: Mound ants, wood ants and thatching ants
• Color: Vary in coloration with yellow, red, black and bi-colored red and black combinations
• Size: 3 to 10 mm long
• Appearance: Field ants feature an uneven thorax, a single node and three simple eyes in between two compound eyes

Field Ant Behavior

Field ants are one of the most diverse types of ants in the world, boasting over 150 species worldwide. These insects subsist primarily off of a sweet substance known as honey-dew, derived from insects such as mealy bugs and aphids.

As there are a wide variety of field ants in the world, it is not possible to make many generalizations. They tend to construct their colonies in the ground near trees, fences, sidewalks, rocks and other lawn and wood debris, and some species are known to use leaves, stems and pine needles in the construction of their nest.