Big headed ants
The
African Big-headed ant is a major threat to native invertebrate species
and agricultural production world-wide. The invasive ability and success
of Pheidole megacephala is a result of its social biology, occurring in
massive ‘supercolonies’, and its ability to outcompete native
species. Effective control on a large scale is limited, but many chemicals
are effective on a small scale.
Pheidole megacephala has caused the local extinction of all but one rainforest ant species, and reduced other invertebrates to 15% of natural abundance levels in infested rainforest at Howard Springs.