They are small and can get in through tiny cracks. They tend and defend aphids and scale, seeking the honeydew, so they foster plant damage by those insects. Argentine Ants live in shallow galleries in the ground-often only a few inches deep. A single colony will have multiple queens, and can grow quite rapidly, displacing other native types of ants. They also rapidly establish other colonies when a queen leaves and takes some of the workers with her. These satellite colonies may eventually return or they may become the mother colony to many new colonies. During the hot summer months, some may even be temporarily established inside homes-under carpets, attic insulation, or in walls and potted plants.

Life Cycle:

The eggs hatch in about two weeks into larvae. The larvae mature into a pupa in about a month, and the pupa stage lasts only 15 days. The whole process of egg to adult can range from as short as 33 days to a maximum of 141 days