Burchell's Army Ant

Eciton burchellii · Order: Hymenoptera · Family: Formicidae

Also called: Army ant

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Burchell's Army Ant
Photo: Alex Wild, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), Public domain

Eciton burchellii workers range from 3 mm to 12 mm and have long legs, a spider-like body, and a well-developed sting. They live in damp, shaded tropical jungles from Mexico to Paraguay and move their bivouac at night during nomadic phases. Colonies can contain up to 600 000 adults, send out raids of up to 200 000 ants that can stretch 200 m, and support hundreds of other species that follow their raids.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Workers have single-faceted eyes, a double-segmented waist, a strong sting, and tarsal hooks that let them link together into bridges and bivouacs.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it lives

They inhabit tropical jungles of Central and South America, preferring damp, shaded areas and avoiding direct sun and high elevations.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

During raids, up to 200 000 ants follow pheromone trails for distances of about 200 m to hunt prey. Over 500 other species, including antbirds, mites, and beetles, associate with their colonies, many relying on the ants for food or habitat.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

A colony may hold 100 000 to 600 000 adults, consisting of a single queen, brood, and many workers. Colonies alternate between stationary and nomadic phases, moving nightly as the brood develops.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

In each nomadic phase the colony finds a new nest, taking six to eight hours to relocate its bivouac, usually at night.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Their native range extends from Mexico through Central America to Paraguay.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

Eciton burchellii belongs to the New World army ant genus Eciton. Its soldier caste has long, sickle-shaped mandibles typical of Eciton species.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Burchell's Army Ant photo 3
Photo: Geoff Gallice, CC BY
Burchell's Army Ant photo 4
Photo: unknown, CC0

Same family (Formicidae)

Eastern Black Carpenter AntEastern Black Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusCan damage your homeRed Imported Fire AntRed Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaCan stingAmerican Winter AntAmerican Winter AntPrenolepis imparisArgentine AntArgentine AntLinepithema humileNuisance, not dangerousImmigrant Pavement AntImmigrant Pavement AntTetramorium immigransCan stingOdorous House AntOdorous House AntTapinoma sessileCan damage your home

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eciton_burchellii

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.