The Velvety Tree Ant also known as Liometopum occidentale. It is most commonly found in California although they may be found in mountain foothills in other western states. They can also be found Nevada, Colorado, and Mexico. The Velvety Tree Ants have a red-brown thorax and head. Velvety Tree Ants live in forests where they nest outdoors in dead and rotting wood. They can be commonly seen streaming up and down tree limbs going from food source to nest. While the Velvety black abdomen gives this ant its nickname.
The Velvety Tree Ant typically lives outdoors or in forests. The Velvety Tree Ant lives with many insects including beetles, caterpillars, flies, and spiders such as the jumping and black widow spider. In order for ants to survive from their predators they make nests underground, in dead leaves, and under stones. Ants are very vital to the environment because they help and act as decomposers by feeding on organic waste, insects, and other dead animals. Velvety Tree Ants though can easily be found in homes, which can become infested quickly.
Velvety Tree Ants mainly feed on honeydew produced by aphids, mealybugs, and scales that infest trees, shrubs, and other plants. They are also very attracted to sugar but will also eat other insects for their protein. They get their sugar from multiple sources such as aphids by farming them and getting sweet honey dew from them.
Typically foraging workers of the the Velvety Tree Ant will only invade homes when they are searching for food, but they will nest indoors, in wet or rotting wood, or moist wall voids. Often they are associated with leaks in soffits and around windows and showers. The Velvety Tree ant, generally has a large colony with one queen and many workers. The Velvety Tree Ant measures about one quarter of an inch in length.