Perth Coastal Brown Ants (Pheidole megacephala)

Big-Headed Ants or Coastal Brown Ants are easily identified as they have a “soldier” caste with large heads and a “worker” caste. Light brown/red in colour the workers are up to 3mm long and the soldiers as big as 4.5mm with large armoured heads and fearsome looking pincers. African natives, these ants find Perth’s climate perfect and they are more active in warmer climates. Coastal Brown Ants, Perth’s most prolific urban pests, have been particularly active this year!

Perth Coastal Brown Ants are  ”liquid feeders” and need to break down the food to eat it. The major caste of Coastal Brown Ants use their powerful mandibles to cut food down so the minor caste can transport it back to the nest. There are many coastal brown ant queens in each nest and they breed by branching out and establishing nearby colonies.

These colonies interact with each other to push out native Perth Ants and rival insects, leading to lawns and paving resembling the moon’s surface within a short time. They prefer fats,oils, meat, dead insects and protein but are adaptable. They can cause extensive damage to paving, pot plants, lawns and gardens by undermining soil for nest space.