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You will find Argentine ants mostly in southern United States and in California. The general consensus is that they may have entered the United States aboard ships carrying coffee or sugar from Argentina during the 1890s, then expanded throughout California and the southern parts of the United States. Because the fire ant is such a strong competitor to the Argentine ant they are not as populated in the south east part of the United States These types of natural competitors are largely absent in California and this state has seen them thrive in the temperate and damp coastal regions. They have killed and displaced native ants, many of which are ten times larger in size. 
Click on image to enlarge Image courtesy of : ucsdnews.ucsd.edu
You won't find winged forms because mating usually is found in the nest. Argentine ants are aggressive, often eliminating other types of ants in the same area. They also destroy and eat other household pests such as cockroaches and exposed termites. However, they prefer sweets and are often found tending aphids or scale insects on plants, using them as source of honey dew. They usual habitation is outside, but can present a problem when they come inside foraging for food. They rarely nest in walls of buildings, as the pharoah ant. They more often than not, enter to forage and then exit. APPEARANCE:The wingless worker ant(most commonly spotted), is light to dark brown, about 1/12 to 1/8 inch long . The antennae are strongly elbowed(12 segments) and there is a single node in front of the abdomen(a waist). Queens are 1/6 to 1/4 inch long. How to Indentify Argentine Ants: 
REPRODUCTION AND LIFE CYCLE:
One or more of these Argenine productive queens may leave with some of the workers to form a new colony when it gets crowded (this is known as "budding"). The grublike larvae are fed and tended by the workers, pupate, then emerge to join their sisters in the colony (worker ants are all sterile females). The eggs are white,laid in summer;larvae emerge after about 28 days. The larval stage may be completed in from 11-60 days. The pupal period may go to over 10-25 days. Development from egg to adult usually takes about two months, but it may be 4-5 months. During the summer months,satellite nests are usually established close to food sources and these satellite nests are highly mobile. ANT TRAILS:An excellent article by Univ. of Florida Extension Service can be found at Ant Trails:Baiting. It gives an overview of management with baits.
WHY ANT BAIT?The use of residual sprays or dusts will cause stress on the colonies, causing them to split into sub-colonies that scatter to other areas in the structure. This is also called budding. After spraying, your problem can be worse than at the beginning. When you bait, you will want a slow acting bait. Quick kill insecticides and baits will only kill the foraging ants, not allowing the foraging ants to take the bait back home to feed the queen, nest workers and brood. If the current ant bait that you are using is not acceptable to the ants, if they are not visiting the bait, it is recommended that you change the baits. They find a variety of these sources in nature. Examples are: other insects(proteins and greases), nectar, aphid honeydew , plant products(sugar and carbohydrates) Choosing a bait would require knowing what they are currently feeding off of, according to the nutritional needs of the colony. To be sure that you have all the baiting needs met, you may want to be ready with a sugar-carbohydrate bait, a grease-fat bait, and a protein based bait. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO REMOVE ANY OTHER FOOD COMPETITION WHEN BAITING AND LEAVE THE BAIT ALONE ONCE THE ANTS START FEEDING ON IT. HABITSArgentine ants can persist in conditions where other ant species could not survive. They like to nest in moist soil next to buildings or under them. They can be found near sidewalks or plants. They nest near water and food sources. Foraging ants will enter the house when outside conditions are extremely dry or wet. Colonies are large, often containing hundreds of queens. The queens and larvae form will eat the protein / grease combination almost exclusively, while the workers will eat the sugar based baits. They are extremely mobile, will move colonies frequently. Argentine ants generate strong pheromone trails when foraging. They can be easily tracked. In many areas, you will see them pathing three and four abreast. DIETArgentine ants prefer sweet foods such as syrup, fruit juices or plant secretions as well as protein. They gather food day and night. The workers will only eat the sugar. Of all the smaller sized ant, this one prefers sweet more than protein.Ant baits recommended for the ARGENTINE ANTS: Baiting is the preferred treatment over typical residual spraying, so you can eliminate the entire colony. Argentine ants generate strong pheromone trails when foraging. They can be easily tracked. In many areas, you will see them pathing three and four abreast. The recommended products for the protein/grease eating cycle would be: For the protein and greese feeding needs:
For the sugar feeding needs:
Unless you can treat the nest directly, spraying is not an effective solution for small ants, unless you use a nonrepellent insecticides or "undetectable" liquid treatments such as Termidor or Phantom. Unlike older insecticides, nonrepellent insecticides can't be smelled, tasted, or even felt by pests. So they crawl through the treated area, not knowing that by ingesting treated materials or merely contacting the insecticide, they'll die.
Termidor For Outside Ant Control:Termidor offers the most effective, low-dose control of outdoor ants available, with proven control of a number of nuisance ant species, even with outdoor perimeter applications at the low rate of 0.06% active ingredient. Termidor is labeled for carpenter ants, argentine ants, big-headed ants, odorous house ants, and pavement ants Ants foraging on Termidor-treated surfaces, ingesting Termidor through normal feeding activity, or that are sprayed directly with the product will die, but not before spreading Termidor through contact throughout the ant population via the product's unique "Transfer EffectT." Termidor is easily picked up by ants, and has a quick speed of kill - 1 to 3 days - but is slow-acting enough to ensure transfer throughout the population. Termidor is only to be used outside and will yield 12-24 gallons
Phantom For Inside and Outside Ant Control:For Ant and Roach control inside use the nonrepellent insecticide product Phantom. Phantom will yield 8 gallons for ant control.
Phantom is long-lasting, and effective at controlling entire ant and roach populations at low doses. Phantom provides superior ant and roach control by striking ants inside your home where they cause the most trouble. But if you have an ant problem, the ants in your house probably have their nests outside-they travel back and forth More Information: Phantom Termite/Insecticide
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RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS AND TREATMENTBaiting is the preferred treatment over typical residual spraying, so you can eliminate the entire colony. Argentine ants generate strong pheromone trails when foraging. They can be easily tracked. In many areas, you will see them pathing three and four abreast.The recommended products for the protein/grease eating cycle would be:
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The
winged queens can produce fertile eggs for up to 10 years after mating once
with a winged male. Another difference in this type of ant compared to other
ants, is that several productive queens can share the same colony. 
Intice Smart Ant Gel(For Sweet Feeding)
