Frequently Asked Questions About Insects - Department of Entomology at Texas A&M University

Frequently Asked Questions

Topic:	Ants, aggressive
Question:	I live in New Hampshire and need help identifying an aggressive ant. The body is red/black or brown. The nest is about 2 feet wide and mounded and located on the side of a road. The most peculiar thing about the ants is that they position themselves on the broad leaves of a tall weed (about 3 feet high). When we approach they aggressively move toward us....at times leaning off the leaf in order to try to bite us. Have you heard of this behavior and could you identify the ant?
Answer:	Without seeing a specimen or a picture, I could only guess which ant species it might be. Red and black is a common color combination. In your area and with the mound size I would guess Formica as the genus. Many ants tend aphids to collect honeydew from them, so they probably were just defending their food source.
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Response by:	John A. Jackman
Title:	Professor and Extension Entomologist
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