A few weeks back, I mapped the control of an island using baits of cookies placed along the borders of the island. The island was mostly controlled by the P. megacephala, but some baits were taken over by a small Pheidole sp, Solenopsis invicta, and a Crematogaster sp. (see image 1 below).
Three weeks later, the P. megacephala has expanded its control, and seems to be on the verge of controlling the entire island (see image 2 below). The small Pheidole has been squeezed to controlling only two of the baits, while I do not see any fire ants (Solenopsis invicta). The last may have been foraging from a separate island across from this, or was a somewhat small colony that was easily evicted.
It will be interesting to see how the small Pheidole sp manages to co-exist with the Pm in this island going forward. As an aside, I have never seen the two species show any aggressive behavior towards the other, even though it seems the latter has been pushing into their territory.
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