Monitoring seasonal variations in foraging of the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) in Central Georgia

In field trials, we monitored foraging activity of Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) in Central Georgia and evaluated the effect seasonal variations of temperature and humidity had on the number of ants trailing over time on foundational walls of residential housing units. The test site included 10 buildings, each with 12 walls. Foraging activity on each of the 120 walls was recorded monthly for 20 months. Monitoring consisted of visual inspections wherein the inspector would give a rank of the Argentine ant activity for each wall. Ant trailing activity was measured on an intensity scale consisting of zero, low, medium, and high.