Ant specimens collected in mid-November in southwest Ohio were confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA, APHIS) to be Asian Needle Ants (Brachyponera chinensis (syn. Pachycondyla chinensis)). This is not the first report of this ant being found in the U.S. However, it is the first confirmation of this non-native stinging ant being found in Ohio.
Asian needle ants are not a regulated pest targeted for eradication. That's because this ant has been in the U.S. since the 1930s and is now widespread in a number of states. Thus far, active populations have been documented in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Connecticut, and New York. As with Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus Planipennis), Asian needle ants are now so pervasive over such a wide geographical area that it would be impossible to eradicate this non-native from the U.S.