Diversity of urban ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in central Illinois, with reference to house-infesting species after 87 years

In the mid-1920’s, Dr. Marion R. Smith conducted a 2-year survey of urban house-infesting ants in Urbana, Illinois. He examined species diversity, relative abundance, and the economic impact (through control measures) of house-infesting species during this time. We replicated this survey in 2012-2013 to measure the current diversity of urban ants in the same locations and determine how the ant fauna has changed over an 87 year time period as a result of urban land use practices. We asked Urbana residents to collect house-infesting ants over two summers and complimented these collections with pitfall traps and winkler litter samples throughout the residential neighborhood. Our survey revealed long-term trends in the presence/absence and abundance of ants that persist in urban environments, the relative impact these ants have in urban settings, and we also documented newly established species that were not present at the time of the initial survey.