![]() ■ Horned lizards normally inhabit flat, open, dry country with little cover. Broadcast applications of fire ant bait products should be avoided in areas where harvester ants are found. ■ Many insecticides used to control or eliminate the red imported fire ant are toxic to the harvester ant, and eliminate the harvester ant more efficiently than they eliminate fire ants. ■ Red imported fire ants may prey directly on lizards or on hatching eggs of lizards. ■ Red imported fire ants are believed to eliminate harvester ants and prevent new colonies from forming by preying on mated queen harvester ants. There are several possible factors contributing to the decline of these species. Populations of the horned lizard and the harvester ant, on which it predominantly feeds, have declined in the eastern part of Texas. Their color varies by the background color of the habitat in which they live. They have broad, flattened bodies and bear a crown of spines at the back of the head. It is commonly called “horny toad.”įull-grown lizards are normally 2 1⁄2 to 4 1⁄4 inches from the snout to the tip of the tail, although some grow larger. The Texas horned lizard is a protected threatened species. Consider the option of not controlling these ants, especially in areas inhabited by the few remaining horned lizards (see box). Red harvester ants are native species and are generally not considered to be serious pests. The ants’ mouthparts are designed for chewing. Red harvester ant foragers collect seeds and dead insects and store them in the nests as food for the colony. Red harvester ants also colonize in ornamental turf areas where their presence may be undesirable. Colonies usually are widely separated however, heavy infestations in pasture and rangeland can reduce yield. Often there is no vegetation within a 3- to 6-foot circle around the central opening of the colony, and along foraging trails radiating from the colony. The area around the opening usually has small pebbles deposited on the soil surface by the worker ants. Colonies occur in open areas and usually have a single central opening. Worker ants remove vegetation in circular areas or craters around nests. Harvester ant workers commonly are sold for ant farms. Effects of the bite can spread along lymph channels and can be medically serious. Worker ants can give a painful, stinging bite, but are generally reluctant to attack. Worker ants produced by the queen ant begin caring for other developing ants, enlarge the nest and forage for food. Larvae are white and legless, shaped like a crookneck squash with a small distinct head. Larvae hatch from eggs and develop through several stages (instars). After dropping her wings, the queen ant digs a burrow and produces a few eggs. Males soon die and females seek a suitable nesting site. Winged forms are larger than worker ants. Winged males and females swarm, couple and mate, especially following rains. ![]() ![]() Seven of these species are found only in far west Texas. There are 22 species of harvester ants in the United States, 10 of which are found in Texas. They have squarish heads and no spines on the body. Worker ants are 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch long and red to dark brown. ![]()
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