White-Footed Ant

White-footed ants are often found foraging along branches and trunks of trees and shrubs. They feed on plant nectars and honeydew, a sweet substance produced by many sap-sucking insects such as aphids, mealybugs, and scale insects. White-footed ants are known to protect honeydew-producing insects from attack by other insects. white-footed ants are strongly attracted to sweet foods (Figure 4). They also eat dead insects and other types of protein.

Nestmates are brought to food sources by foragers who lay chemical trails. The same trails between a nest and food source are often observed for several months. In and on structures, foragers tend to follow lines such as an edge of an outside wall panel. This usually leads to some small opening to the inside where foragers that enter are likely to be noticed. Frequently, white-footed ants find their way inside wall voids where they follow electrical cables and emerge into various rooms, especially kitchens and bathrooms. In these places the ants find liquid and solid foods resulting in heavy trailing activity.