They can climb high-rise buildings.
New York and New Jersey residents might spot a few new ( and unwanted ) roommates in their high - rise flat .
One insect in particular has grown lovesome of NYC and Jersey building , and contrary to what you might suppose , it is n’t roach . Dubbed the " ManhattAnt , " a specific type of ant native to Europe has been increasingly spotted in New Yorkers ' habitation since 2011 , when it was first discovered here . Over the past decade , it has been " thrive in New York,“The New York Timesreports .
other than than other types of ant , the ManhattAnt , whose prescribed name is Lasius emarginatus , is able to live in highly urban surround , and can successfully climb up noticeable stature into eminent - boost flat . Most ant species typically do n’t roll far from the undercoat .
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" My research focuses on understanding how this ant , [ which ] is now one of the most common emmet in New York City , has been able to be so successful , surviving in highly urban habitats , " Samantha Kennett , a graduate bookman at Kennesaw State University in Georgia in Dr. Clint Penick ’s social insect lab , toldThe New York Times . " We found them in Times Square . They are everywhere . "
Originally , the ManhattAnt came from Europe , and probably get to the United States by ship . for well study and understand the ManhattAnt and its behaviour ( as well as how far it ’s traveled ) , Kennett launch an on-line project , dubbed Project ManhattAnt , where New Yorkers can report sighting of the worm . you’re able to find ithere .
How can I spot a ManhattAnt?
Since research worker on this projection do n’t yet know the impact that the Lasius emarginatus has on the ecosystem , it is crucial for them to be capable to track the species ' whereabouts to create a clear profile of the louse . For this rationality , they ’re promote New Yorkers to bow their sightings on the Project ManhattAnt website along with a decipherable photo .
Spotting them is fairly simple . harmonise toProject ManhattAnt ’s intro , the New York - loving pismire is bicolored , featuring a reddish - orange physical structure with a dark brownish head and tail end . If you hold out on an upper floor or in a high - emanation building and see a reddish ant , it ’s very likely a ManhattAnt .
They ’re not interested in human food , and Rob Dunn , a professor in the Department of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University , toldThe New York Timesthat they are probably only looking for water .
Even though they are able to reach impressive heights , ManhattAnts are not looking to become a long - term roommate , and it ’s unbelievable that they ’ll persist for a long clock time . In the conclusion , just like other pismire , they prefer the open .
" [ It ] nests in the priming , " Dunn toldThe New York Times . " It nests under logs and in all the studies we ’ve done , it prefers to have some natural habitat . "
