Jack jumper ant

Further information: Ant colony Jack jumper ants are abundant in most of Australia, being among the most common bull ant to be encountered. The ants can be found in the south-western tip of Western Australia, where it has been seen in the sand hills around Albany, Mundaring, Denmark and Esperance. The ant is rarely sighted in the northern regions of Western Australia. In South Australia, it is commonly found in the south-east regions of the state, frequently encountered in Mount Lofty (particularly the Adelaide Hills), Normanville, Hallett Cove and Aldgate, but it is not found in north-western regions. There are dense populations on the western seaboard of Kangaroo Island. Jack jumpers are widespread throughout the whole of Victoria, but the species is uncommon in Melbourne. However, populations have been collected from the suburb of Elsternwick, and they are commonly found in the Great Otway Ranges, with many nests observed around Gellibrand. In New South Wales, nests are found throughout the entire state (with the exception of north-western New South Wales), but dense populations are mostly found in the Snowy Mountains, Blue Mountains and coastal regions. The ants are widespread in the Australian Capital Territory. In Queensland, the ants are only found along the south-eastern coastlines of the state, where populations are frequently encountered in the Bunya Mountains, Fletcher, Stanthorpe, Sunshine Coast, Tamborine Mountain and Millmerran, and have been found as far north as Rockhampton. The ant also resides in all of Tasmania, and their presence in the Northern Territory has not been verified.

Jack jumper ants live in open habitats, such as damp areas, forests, pastures, gardens and lawns, preferring fine gravel and sandy soil. Colonies can also be spotted around light bushland. Their preferred natural habitats include woodlands, dry open forests, grasslands and rural areas, and less common in urban areas. Their nests are mounds built from finely granular gravel, soil and pebbles, measuring 20 to 60 centimetres (8 to 24 in) in diameter and can be as tall as half of a metre (20 in) in height. Two types of nests for this species have been described: one being a simple nest with a noticeable shaft inside, the other being a complex structure surrounded by a mound. These ants use the warmth by decorating their nests with dry materials that heat in a quick duration, providing the nest with solar energy traps. They decorate their nests with seeds, soil, charcoal, stones, sticks, and even small invertebrate corpses. They also camouflage their nests by covering leaf litter, debris and long grass over the nest. Nests can be found hidden under rocks, where queens will most likely form their colony, or around small piles of gravel instead. Their range in southern Australia, like other regional ant species, appears like that of a relict ant. Jack jumpers have been found in dry sclerophyll forests, at elevations ranging from 121 to 1,432 metres (397 to 4,698 ft), averaging 1,001 metres (3,284 ft). Rove beetles in the genus Heterothops generally thrive in jack jumper nests and raise their brood within their chambers, and skinks have been found in some nests.

Populations are dense in the higher mountain regions of Tasmania. Widespread throughout the state, their presence is known on King Island, located north-west from Tasmania. The ant prefers rural areas, found in warm, dry, open eucalypt woodlands; the climate provides the ant with isolation and warmth. This environment also produces the ant's food, which includes nectar and invertebrate prey. In suburban areas, this ant is found in native vegetation, and use rockeries, cracks in concrete walls, dry dirt and grass to build nests. One study found suburbs with voluminous vegetation cover such as Mount Nelson, Fern Tree and West Hobart host jack jumper populations, while the heavily urbanised suburbs of North Hobart and Battery Point, do not.

Pest control of the jack jumper ant is successful in maintaining their populations around suburban habitats. Chemicals like bendiocarb, chlorpyrifos, diazinon and permethrin are effective against them. Spraying of Solfac into nests is an effective way of controlling nests if they are in a close range of areas with considerable amounts of congestion and human activity. Pouring carbon disulfide into nest holes and covering entrances up with soil is another method of removing colonies. The Australian National Botanic Gardens has an effective strategy of marking and maintaining jack jumper nests.