First discovered in 1956 in Alabama, trap-jaw ants have expanded their territory in the southeastern U.S.

NPMA
In order to alert pest management professionals in the Southeast about a potential problem, the National Pest Management Association recently brought attention to a published review of the current state of trap-jaw ants.

Written by a team of entomologists from North Carolina State University, the review reports on how populations of the ants have appeared to expand into new areas. First discovered in 1956 in Alabama, they have now been identified across the lower southeastern United States.

Trap-jaw ants, a group of at least six species in the genus Odontomachus, are large stinging ants with sizeable and powerful mandibles. There has been very little research focused on this insect, and their interactions with other species are not well understood. But they are believed to not be capable of forming super-colonies, and when compared to other ant species found in this region, like the red imported fire ant and tawny crazy ant, it seems unlikely that trap-jaw ants will gain a significant foothold or become a major pest group, according to D. Magdalena Sorger, one of the authors of the paper.

Despite their currently limited pest status, PMPs in the Southeast may come across them or field questions from curious customers.