Winged female reproductives are rarely seen because mating takes place inside the nest. The workers are very aggressive and usually eliminate other ant species and some other insects from the area. However, ants from different Argentine ant colonies are friendly and do not fight. Inside, these ants usually nest near a moisture source such as water pipes, sinks, potted plants, etc. The workers follow regular trails when foraging, and winged queens can sometimes be found among trailing workers.
Workers commonly tend honeydew-producing insects.
The preferred foods are sweets such as sugars and syrup but they will feed on almost every kind of food including meats, eggs, oil, fats, etc. Outside, Argentine ants typically live in shallow nests located in moist situations such as under boards and stones, beneath plants, along sidewalks, etc. This ant prefers sweets such as honeydew' fruit juices, and plant secretions, but also steals seeds, attacks poultry chicks, disrupts bee hives, etc. Their habit of crawling over everything including refuse, sewage, sputum, carrion, etc. affords them the opportunity to transport the causative disease organisms for dysentery, etc. Argentine ants invade buildings in large numbers when conditions outside are either too wet or too dry for them to live.