Therefore, white-footed ants are considered by homeowners to be a nuisance pest. As a result, these important sap-sucking pests increase in population and cause injury to plants. However, the petiole of the Argentine ant has a vertical projection while this feature is lacking on the white-footed ant. The white-footed ant has an unusual life cycle. Winged females who mate with winged males during a mating flight found new colonies.
Winged males mate once before they die.
Winged females die about 400 days after starting a colony. The queen is then replaced by a wingless daughter that mates with a wingless male who is capable of multiple matings. The wingless reproductives look very much like workers, and in many cases can not be distinguished from sterile workers by external appearance. The reproductive potential of the multiple queen white-footed ant society is much greater than that of other ant species that have single queens. In addition, white-footed ants can initiate new colonies by budding.