• Worldwide distribution. In Australia, Guam, Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk), Papua New Guinea. Several similar species requiring expert identification.
• Major pest. Damage is indirect: ant protects aphids, mealybugs, scales, whiteflies from natural enemies encouraging pest outbreaks. Nests on ground, in trees, in houses. Does not bite humans.
• Males, winged and wingless; females (queens, workers, 'intercastes'). Queens mate, establish colony; later, reproductive (fertilized) intercastes take over. Foraging by (unfertilized) workers - food is living/dead insects, honeydew, own eggs.
• Tramp ant; spread by 'budding' - intercastes leave nest with workers, males and brood; spread with international horticultural trade.
• Biosecurity: requires risk assessments, regulations preventing introduction, protocols in case of breach, and ability to make rapid response. Pacific Ant Prevention Plan available (IUCN/SSC Invasive Specialist Group).
• Cultural control: hot water at 47°C kills ants; over 49°C kills plants.
• Chemical control: use (i) stomach poisons (fipronil, Amdro^®, borax), (ii) growth regulators (methoprene, pyriproxyfen), (iii) nerve poisons (bifenthrin, fipronil, imidacloprid). See (http://piat.org.nz/index.php?page=getting-rid-of-ants).

White-footed ant. It is also known as the difficult white-footed ant, or the difficult techno ant.

Technomyrmex difficilis. This ant has been misidentified previously, confused with Technomyrmex albipes (see Fact Sheet no. 360). There are other closely-related species, Technomyrmex pallipes, and Technomyrmex mayri st. nitiduans.