Ermones^® Pest Management
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Ants

Ants are one of the most common and pests in public facilities and the dominant group of social insects. Ants are consider as pests because in their search for nourishment, invade human food resources and become possible vectors for food-borne illnesses, like Salmonella. Some ant species also bite or sting.

Bites and stings are painful and may cause serious allergic reactions in sensitive people. Although ants can be pests in certain situations, it is important to recognize that ants play an important role in the outdoor environment. Many ants are natural predators and help control other pests, including fly larvae, crickets, and termites. Some species of ants are important for improving soil quality by aerating the soil and recycling dead organic material.

Ants belong to the insect Order Hymenoptera and are close relatives of bees and wasps. Throughout the world there are over 20,000 species of ants, but only about 50 are known to be pests of the food or structures of man. Except for the polar regions and a couple of islands, they flourish on all land areas of the earth, from rain forests to deserts.

Ants are divided up into three castes: workers, males, and queens (figure 1).

Figure 1. Typical ant castes, from left to right: queen, winged male, major worker, minor worker       

Workers are sterile, wingless females which range in size from 1/20 inch long to about 1/2 inch long. The workers of some ant species vary in size and are divided into major (large) and minor (small) workers. Ants vary in color from yellow to red to brown and black and various combinations of these. Like all insects, ants have three distinctive body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. All ants have a pair of elbowed (bent) antennae on the head and a constricted area between the thorax and abdomen called the petiole. The petiole has either one or two nodes (bumps) (figure 2).

Fig. 2. Typical ant body parts

The reproductive members of the colony are the males and queens. Males are generally the same size or larger than the workers, are winged, have a small head with proportionally large eyes. They are produced in older, large colonies and their sole purpose is to mate with the new queens; they die shortly afterwards. Queens are the largest members of the colony, often two to three times larger than workers. Queens possess wings but break them off after mating. They have very large abdomens and can live for a number of years. Males and queens will swarm (i.e. fly) from their nest to mate. A given species will mate during a specific time of the year. After mating, the female seeks a proper nesting site and begins a new colony. The presence of swarming winged ants inside buildings is an indication of an ant nest indoors.

Ants are sometimes mistaken for winged termites that are commonly called swarmers. Ants differ from termites by having a narrow, constricted waist, elbowed (bent) antennae, and hind wings shorter than front wings (figure 3). Termites have a more rectangular shaped body with no constrictions, straight, beaded antennae and four wings of equal size and shape that are much longer than the body (figure 4). Termite wings fall off very easily and are usually found on the surface from which the termites have emerged. Ants are commonly seen in the open, as are winged termites when they swarm. But termite workers, which are creamy white and wingless, avoid light and are rarely seen unless disturbed.

                                                       Fig. 3. Winged ant         Fig. 4. Winged termite

Ants have a wide variety of nesting habits and food preferences. Some ants build nests in soil, producing              characteristic mounds while others nest in homes behind moldings, baseboards, countertops, and similar places. Still other ants nest in decaying or moisture damaged wood. Ants feed on different types of food, including starches, meats, fats, and sweets. Many ants also feed on honeydew, a sweet liquid produced by aphids and scale insects. Knowledge of ant food and nesting preferences is very important in controlling ant colonies.

All pest control technicians become involved with ant problems at some point in their career— most commonly because ants are found foraging or nesting inside structures - or because swarming ant reproductives are confused with swarming termites. Pest management professionals have the training and experience to deal with household ant problems. Contact a reputable pest management company if you want to have your ant problem handled by a professional.

Only a comparatively small proportion of ants cause damage
Most ants are extremely beneficial cleaning up mess after mess and up to 95% of all weed seeds!

They are truly are nature’s little garbage collecting ladies!