Ants
Updated: 22 Jul 2021
Description:
Adult ants are one of three different colony castes; queens, workers or males. Queens are fertile females that produce all the eggs in a colony. Workers are females that do not reproduce, but gather food; feed the larvae; and maintain and clean the nest. Workers are wingless, and it is the worker stage that is seen feeding around or defending the colony from intruders. Male ants are winged, but their only job is to mate with queens during the swarming process.
Habits:
Ants inside your house or apartment can be a seasonal or year-round problem. Many species of ants build their nests outdoors and become a nuisance when they forage for food inside your home. Once they discover good food, they may continue to come in to collect their food and bring it back to their outdoor colony. However, other ant species that come indoors build their nest inside and become permanent residents. Some of the more common ant species that may invade and choose to reside inside are pavement ants, carpenter ants, odorous house ants, robber ants, acrobat ants and Pharaoh ants. Any of these ants can be difficult to control, but the Pharaoh ant is known to be one of the most difficult to control.
Indoors ants can be found near their food sources, moisture and in hidden, protected places such as wall voids, under appliances, behind window frames and under floors. Ants are commensal parasites, which means they like to live near people and eat some of the same things they do - sweets, meats, starches and liquids.
Defense:
- Make your home as inhospitable to ants as possible. If ants cannot find available food and water sources, they will be less likely to try to reach it. Any type of food or food particles can attract ants.
- Store food, especially pet food, in containers securely. Clean your counters and floors frequently.
- Most do-it-yourself ant control methods kill only the ants you can see. Some really effective treatments can penetrate and destroy nests to prevent these pests from reappearing. Also, home remedies do not account for the fact that different types of ant infestations require different treatments.
You should contact a pest professional for assistance.