Ants

Despite becoming a common household pest during the summertime, ants are rather fascinating insects world, as there are more ants across the globe than any other insect. To date, ants are one of the oldest of creatures in the world, spanning a history of more than 60 million years. In relation to their size, they are considered the strongest living thing on Earth, which possesses the ability to carry objects about 50 times their own body weight.

You probably didn’t know that ants are also the longest living out of all insects with worker ants thriving for an average of one year (some lasting for five years). Many queens possess the capacity to reign for twenty years, which may depend on their species. Today, when it comes to identifying ants – it is their colors that mostly set them apart – which can be yellow, red, brown, or black.

What are Ants?

As one of the most successful species on Earth, there is an estimated 20,000 different species of ants roaming almost every part of the world. While numerous intriguing facts surround the existence of the ant, it is the unique and disciplined social structure that impresses most people. Ants live within large colonies or groups in a home built out of dirt or sand. Some colonies showcase millions of ants, while others are much smaller.

In the colony, the male ants serve one purpose, which is to mate with future queen ants. Shortly after, they expire rather quickly. The queen reaches adulthood for the purpose of mating and then spends the rest of her existence laying eggs. Depending on the species, there is one queen per colony, while ant communities are known to have several different queens in one location. The typical four stages of development for an ant include the phases of egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

There are three distinct parts to an ant – the head, midsection (trunk), and the rear (metasoma). The head is comprised of the jaws, eyes, and antennae, which serves as their sense of touch, smell, taste, and hearing. The stomach and rectum of an ant is contained within the metasoma. Many species possess poison sacks or stingers at the end of the metasoma, which aids in their defense tactics against predators. Six legs attached to the trunk are responsible for mobility.

Ants serve many purposes in the outside world, as they make useful soldiers in clearing out insect pests and aerating the soil. For instance, the weaver ant is used in southern China as a way to biologically control the cultivation of their citrus production. This is considered one of the oldest methods of relying on natural predation, parasitism, or other natural means of control that allows the avoidance of chemical approaches.

In nature, ants serve as a main source of food for humpback flies, ground beetles, praying mantises, and other creatures. Woodpeckers feast on ants, as they stick their beaks in a variety of places to acquire one of their primary food sources. The birds have also learned how to crush ants onto their feathers in order to release tannic acid, which helps keep parasites away.

The Difference Between an Ant and a Termite

a) Antennae: Ants have “elbowed” antennae, while termites possess a simplified “string of bead-like segments.”

c) Waist: An ant has a waist (pedical), which is located between the thorax and abdomen, while termites are not born with this body part.

d) Abdomen: Ants have points at the end of their abdomens, while termites’ are blunt at the end.

e) Roles: Depending on the colony, the workers, soldiers, and winged reproductive members of both ant and termite species show many differences. For instance, ant workers are comprised of sexually undeveloped females, while termites have both male and female sexually undeveloped workers.

f) Life Cycle: Ants undergo a complete metamorphosis, as an egg, larva, pupa, and adult – the metamorphosis of termites is incomplete, as they become eggs, nymphs, and then adults – skipping the pupal stage.

g) Diet: Ants will scavenge for their food, while termites crave plant tissue – feeding on grasses and wood. This is why a termite causes so much house damage. Although some ants set up a home within damp or rotten wood – they do not actually consume the wood as a meal.

Different Types of Ants

a) Stinging Ants: It is important to keep babies and young children away from a stinging ant, as it possesses quite the painful sting.

b) Formica Ants: Sucking on the juices from insects they kill, this pest is attracted to sweets found in homes.

c) Thief Ants: Leaving sugary food crumbs about the house is a temptation a thief ant cannot refuse.

d) Odorous House Ant: While the odorous ant prefers eating dead and living insects, aphids, and honeydew, they will enter a home and gravitate towards sweet things to eat.

Additional ant species scattered about the world include leaf-cutting ants; army ants (which eats all insects they come across and travel in large packs); harvester ants (prefer eating seeds and some insects; known to bite and sting); and janitor ants (makes nests in hollowed out tree twigs).

Signs of an Ant Infestation

One of the most noticeable signs of ant colonies is seen in swarming activity, which involves the release of winged male and female ants. Only a well-established ant colony is able to generate a swarm, which is affected by environmental conditions and species preferences. For example, carpenter ant swarms usually take place from late spring to late summer. If you spot one or two winged ants in the home – this is not a definite sign of an infestation. Larger numbers are cause for concern.

Additionally, spotting sawdust-like material accumulating in certain parts of your home may indicate an ant problem. Common places to check include under carpeting, about unfinished wooden basement, closets, storage rooms, inside electrical boxes, and the bottom of fixed wooden cabinets. In the basement, sawdust may appear in cobwebs and crawl spaces.