Overview // Family Formicidae
With more than 12,000 of the estimated total 22,000 species of Ants classified, Ants have a presence on nearly every corner of the world and are the #1 Pest Problem in the United States. Capable of exploiting the tiniest cracks in a home or building, Ants can set up colonies as large as 500,000 individuals and live in, near and under any structure or home, colonize lawns and destroy crops.
More than 700 of the known Ant species living in the United States, only about 25 are considered threats or invasive pests to homes and can even be a threat to human health in some sitautions.
Recognition //
- Ants have a head, thorax and abdomen body arrangement
- Ant antennae are usually bent.
- Ants range in color from browns, reds and blacks to faint white, grey and yellow.
- Despite having a similar body layout, Ants can vary significantly in apperance from one species to another.
- Ants are normally named for their apperance or behavior.
- All six legs are attached to the thorax and end in a hooked claw
- In most ant species, only reproductive ants, queens, and males, have wings. Queens shed their wings after their nuptial flight.
Biology //
- Some Ant species queens individuals can live up to 15 years and a few even up to 30 years. Not all species has a Queen, however.
- Some ant species works can live for several years, but most workers only live 1-3 years. However, some Ant species males, can only survive a few weeks.
- Ants undergo a complete metamorphasis with an egg, larvae, pupae and adult stage.
- Nearly all ants have stingers, but they also defend themselves with biting or spraying/injecting chemicals at their attacker.
Habits //
- Ants are social insects with divisions of labor, communication between individuals, and an ability to solve complex problems.
- Ants are almost all omnivorous, but tend to prefer sweets or greasy things.
- Many species of ants use pheromone trails to lead fellow ant members to resources and harborages.
- Ants typically establish underground colonies, but can be found living in damaged woods, inside of voids, old plant matter and discarded debris.
- Ants are active all year long in the tropics of the world, but, in cooler seasons Ants survive the winter/cool season in a state of dormancy or inactivity
- Ants swarm, or the nuptial flight, in the late spring or early summer when the weather is hot and humid, Normally after a fresh rain.
- The act of crushing a single ant is sometimes enough to send the colony into a frenzy, for example: fire ants.
- While many any species build colonies or remain nomadic, Ants of concern to pest control are ant species that take advantage of human dwellings and other structures to house their colonies and nest structure.
Tips //
- Be wary of treating ant colonies yourself. If ants are threatened, they can rapidly relocate their entire colony or bud off into several smaller colonies rapidly making your ant situation worse.
- Always wear gloves and other protection be aware when moving old debris, pots, wood and other things outside as ants can establish colonies under these things.
Control // Call (407-704-8780)
- If you do find signs of an ant activity or infestation in your home, contact Exterm Inc to discuss your options and setup an appointment.
- We will inspect your home and identify the ant species you are encountering, and recommend a course of ant control and extermination with our quote.
Similar groups //
- Wasps
- Bees
- Sawflies
Trivia //
- Ants can also be beneficial as part of a Biological Pest Control programs, soil aeration and even as surgical sutures.
- Despite the resiliance of ants species, there are several species of ants that are critically endanger, such as the Sri Lankan relict ant (Aneuretus simoni)
- Some estimates for global ant populations is roughly 1 Million ants to each human and equal the biomass of the entire human population.
- Ants were popular as pets from the 1950’s to the 1970’s in the form of the Ant Farm. The ant farm, or formicarium, was invented by French entomologist and polymath Charles Janet around 1900, but it wouldn’t be until 1929 before they would be sold commercially with Frank E. Austin.
- Ants were featured in many movies, such as Draemwork’s Antz and Disney’s A Bug’s Life, Marvel’s Ant-Man and served as inspiration for the antagonists in the movies Starship Troopers.
- Cultures around harvest, prepare and cook ants for food, drinks and condiments.
References //
- Photo By Mikhail Vasilyev
