Acrobat Ants

Acrobat Ant Facts

• Size: Workers are tiny, roughly 1/16 to 1/8 inch long.
• Color: Ranges from yellowish brown to deep brown or black, depending on the species. Many are two-toned, with an abdomen darker than the head and thorax.

How to Identify Acrobat Ants

The name comes from a defensive pose. When something bothers them, workers tip the abdomen up and forward until it sits over the thorax and sometimes the head, like a gymnast holding a balance. Look down at one from above and the abdomen has a flat heart shape, wide at the front and pointed at the tip.

Telling Acrobat Ants Apart From Other Small Ants

Under a magnifying glass, a few features stand out. The waist has two small segments, and it attaches to the top of the abdomen rather than the front, which is what lets the abdomen swing upward. There is also a pair of short spines on the back of the thorax. Common look-alikes in Florida:

• Carpenter ants are much larger, often 1/4 inch or more, with a single waist segment and an evenly rounded back.
• Big-headed ants also have a two-part waist and spines, but some workers have oversized heads and the abdomen is not heart shaped.
• Ghost ants are tiny, with a dark head and a pale, nearly see-through abdomen.

Habitat and diet: Several acrobat ant species are native to Florida, and they are common in pine woods, hardwood hammocks and home landscapes. They nest in dead limbs, under bark, in hollow twigs, in old galleries left by beetles or carpenter ants, and sometimes under stones. They do not eat wood. Instead they move into wood that is already soft or hollow. Their diet is mostly honeydew from sap-feeding insects, along with live and dead insects they hunt or scavenge.

When they are active: Colonies stay active through most of the year in Florida, with the heaviest foraging in warm weather. Winged queens and males leave mature colonies to mate and start new nests. If you are finding these ants indoors, the infestation page explains what to look for next.