Garden Ant

ABC Consultants was approached by the Macquarie City Council to undertake an analysis of the ant colonies and species richness in regards to eating locations on the campus and to determine if pest control was warranted in the university. ABC Consultants conducted an experiment to examine species richness, abundance, and species composition at different sites over the central and eastern areas of the university. We observed and collected samples from 2 site types, classified as ‘eating’ and ‘non eating’ areas, to examine the potential relationships between microhabitat and ant foraging behaviours. Each visually different species (morphospecies) was counted, analysed, photographed and identified. Data collection methods included taking photographs with both a digital camera and using a Moticam apparatus on a stereo microscope to examine the morphology of the ant samples collected.
The most common ant species found on the University campus was the Garden Ant, which was present at 3 of the 10 sites that yielded ants, and with a total sample population of over 160 ants. The Pharaoh’s Ant had the highest distribution but a relatively low abundance. Site F, which was a non-eating area, was within one metre of what appeared to be an ants’ nest, and was a major outlier in our results, with a total of 154 Garden ants and one Green Ant, and thus did not support our initial hypothesis that there would be more ants in the eating areas. From our findings ABC Consultants concluded that pest control was not necessary in the Macquarie University