The white footed ant 3mm long, dark brown or black in colour with yellow white feet. Their perfect nesting locations outside, in  trees, under loose bark or plant debris, in houses up  in attics, under roof shingles, in wall cavities, along fences and outside in outdoor furniture and around decks. The can nest indoors,in the kitchen area near bins or where food is stored or prepared. A colony can contain up to a million, with interconnected satellite colonies. Difficult to control White-footed ants are unusual in that food ingested by foraging workers is not regurgitated, nor is it shared.  The sterile workers of the white-footed ant are capable of laying unfertilized eggs.  These eggs, called trophic eggs, are sterile, and are thinner and more fragile than fertile eggs. Trophic eggs are fed to adults within the colony that are not actively foraging and also to the developing offspring.  Therefore, baits affect only those members of the colony that directly ingest baits.  Baits are not shared with the other half of the colony

The coastal brown and also known as the big headed ant is small 1.5 - 2.5mm long, golden brown to brown in colour and is a small ant. It is dis distinguished by large head which is much larger than the rest of its body, two raised nodes on pedicel, visible spines on the thorax and 12 segmented antennae that finish with a 3 segmented club. They nest in the soil,  that displaces soil and leaves, you will see the tell-tale mounds of soil next to the nest opening.  This incredibly invasive species can have multiple queens in a colony  quickly creating  a ‘super-colony’.  As the initial colony grows, a process called budding will take place in which a queen and a selection of workers will walk from the nest and establish a new colony in close proximity. 
They are not particularly aggressive but have a sting present when under threat; it is not painful for humans.

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The black house ant is small to medium size, up to 3mm long, shiny and black.They are often a pest of domestic environments and will build their nest in cracks or gaps, beside pathways. They generally enter the home in search of food. Like other ant species, they  nest underground and in,roof voids or wall cavities.These ants are a nuisance, scavenging in kitchens, garbage and also dog excrement, potentially spreading diseases such as salmonella. An expert at creating nests in difficult to spot cracks and crevices, making colony elimination difficult. There can be more than one queen in the colony and reproduction is fast. The Black Ant causes primary damage to foods, contaminating areas with faeces and when it disposes of ‘rubbish’ from the nest, body parts of dead colony members.

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Darwin ants are small 2-3mm. They are dark brown  head and light brown body. The give off a strong odour when crushed.  They nest in soil or under stones , rocks, garden pots and outside around the home. They  will come inside if food is limited. The travel in single file and may form super colonies, with multiple queens in a colony..  As the initial colony grows, a process called budding will take place in which a queen and a selection of workers will walk from the nest and establish a new colony in close proximity.

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