Lesser Bullet Ant vs Woolly Hackberry Aphid

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lesser Bullet Ant Woolly Hackberry Aphid
Scientific Name Neoponera villosa Shivaphis celti
Order Hymenoptera Hemiptera
Family Formicidae Aphididae
Size 10-14 mm 1-2 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Predators
Regions Southern United States, Central America, South America East Asia, introduced to North America
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Lesser Bullet Ant

A large black ponerine ant found from Texas through South America with a powerful sting. It nests in tree hollows and dead wood, foraging arboreally at night.

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Did You Know?

It is sometimes called the 'false bullet ant' because its sting, while very painful, is less severe than that of Paraponera.

Woolly Hackberry Aphid

A waxy-white social aphid that feeds on hackberry trees and is notable for its cooperative colony defense. Large groups coordinate to kick and push predators off leaf surfaces.

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Did You Know?

They produce copious white waxy filaments that can accumulate like snow under heavily infested hackberry trees.