Ant control is difficult to maintain as they are one of the most common pests found around the world. Learn more about ants and tips to keep your home ant-free.
All About Ants
Ants are found everywhere in the world (except Antarctica) and are seen in multiple places outside, and sometimes found inside your home. It is estimated there are 20 quadrillion ants, which is 2.5 million ants per human, and over 12,000 species of ants alone. They are easily identified by their long body, legs, antennae, and color which are either red, black, brown, or yellow. Certain castes of ants, such as the queen or drones have wings.
Ants will communicate with each other by secreting pheromones (scent chemicals) that will alert other ants of any danger or lead them to a promising food source. These food sources include nectar, seeds, fungi, and insects. While gathering these sources, they will come together as a group to move the source, and can even carry up to 50 times their weight.
Behavior of Ants
Ants are found in underground, ground-level mounds or trees and have colonies. They are social insects with structured nest communities, and a single colony can have hundreds of thousands of ants alone. They all work together from the start to the end of their life cycle which consists of:
- Egg – Queens will lay hundreds if not thousands, of eggs that appear tiny, white, or translucent, and get taken care of by worker ants
- Larva – Once the egg is hatched, the larva, with a legless and worm-like appearance, depends on being fed by the adult workers. They grow rapidly and molt several times.
- Pupa – The pupal stage is the most developmental and when ants begin to transform into a full adult. Once the larva reaches a certain size, it wraps itself in a silk-like cocoon and undergoes metamorphosis.
- Adult – The full-grown adult emerges from the cocoon as pale and soft-bodied, until it makes contact with air and it darkens and hardens.
Once this cycle is completed, ants then go into their different castes:
- Queen
- Drones
- Workers
Myths about Ants
Debunk commonly shared myths!
- Sugar ants – Sugar ants are usually what people call ants that are found in the kitchen around any food or treats. As they are going towards the treats, it is primarily for the carbohydrates that give them energy. “Sugar Ants” are usually either pavement or odorous house ants, but there are no specific species named sugar ants.
- Ants are harmful – While there are ants that can cause some structural damage like carpenter ants, they are beneficial for our ecosystem. Ants help with pollination, seed dispersal, and soil aeration that helps root growth.
- Ants can predict earthquakes – A long-told myth that gets told is ants can predict earthquakes. While they will change their behavior to sustain themselves in the environment that they are in, there is no scientific evidence to prove they can predict an earthquake.
- There is a king or queen in the colony – While there is a queen ant, she is solely responsible for reproducing. There is no specific ant that is directly responsible and they all have roles in the colony to build, maintain, and protect.
Tips for Ant Control
While outside, it’s fun to watch how ants move and work getting around but finding them inside your home is not so fun. Keeping up with regular ant control inside and outside your home is crucial to an ant-free home. Maintaining cleanliness indoors will help prevent ant activity. Keeping your home f Outside your home, it’s important to trim shrubs and trees away from your home, keep garbage away from the foundation of the house, and pick up garbage around your yard to not leave sources out for ants to maintain themselves.
At ProActive, we guarantee your service and do a service fit for your home! Call our office at (630)451-8101 to learn more about our ant control service and get started today!