Grandma's Types of Ants Guide & Household Pest Control
There are literally thousands of household pest control methods for all types of ants but there are only a handful of ant control methods that are really effective. Ants are found everywhere in the world, more than any other land creature. A colony is capable of having as many as 250,000 ants with the queen being imprisoned for life in a special chamber. There are over 12,000 species of types of ants in the world.
Interesting trivia: It takes 500,000 sugar ants to equal 1 pound. If you weigh all the ants on earth, they will weigh more than all humans on earth.
The reason ants have survived all over the world is because they are extremely intelligent. They have always had a well-organized military unit that is trained to find food and water at all costs. Ants have wars against other colonies, just like the human race and when they win a battle they may even bring back workers as slaves to work for their colony. They all have their own society with guards and know who is a member of their particular colony and will not allow an outsider to enter their nest. They protect the colony by squirting formic acid at predators and can spray up to 1-foot away.
Ants can be a real help and a pest. When the weather is dry they can aerate the soil and will even kill other pests like termites and other insects. If the ants aren't pestering us in our homes they should probably be left alone to assist us in reducing the number of other pests that are on our property such as cockroaches, larvae of the filth fly, scale insects, mealybugs, beetles and termites. All types of ants actually hate termites and will kill and eliminate their nest when they can find one.
Types of Ants - Trivia and Household Pest Control Guide Links
Argentine Ants - This ant has become very popular in the southern part of the U.S. as well as California. It is very active and protects honeydew- producing insects such as aphids, whiteflies and soft scares.
Carpenter Ants
- Carpenter Ants come in 5 sizes from about ¼ inch to ¾ inches and are about ½ inch longer than most other ants. It has a pinched wasp waist elbowed antennae and will be black or bi-colored red and black or black and brown depending on the area of the country they reside in.
Field Ants - Field Ants are found all over North America and most are black or reddish-brown. They are as large as the Carpenter Ant and are frequently mistaken for them. The difference is they have a small indentation on the back of their thorax. They make their home in the soil and will mix plant debris with the soil to build a large mound.
Fire Ants - Types of ants like Fire Ants vary from red to brown to black depending on the area of the country they are found. You may find more than one queen per colony since they are continually raising queens. They tend to nest in a mound of sand or dirt and will defend their colony when disturbed. They have an extremely painful sting and their venom will leave a white sore and a permanent scar in the area. Allergic reaction is possible.
Harvest Ant - These ants live mostly in western North America and they will build very large mounds. They live mainly in grasslands and are rarely found near buildings or gardens. Harvest Ants love seeds as their preferred food and if annoyed will sting if their colony is disturbed.
Pavement Ants - The Pavement Ant lives mostly in northern areas of the United States and southern Canada. They will leave small piles of fine grains of dirt in sidewalk cracks, next to buildings and patio stones. They prefer oily foods and love French fries and sweets. They are fairly harmless to your garden plants.
Pharaoh Ants or Sugar Ants
- Your typical type of ant such as the Pharaoh or Sugar Ant is small, yellow or reddish brown with the hind portion somewhat darker color and sometimes banded. They are found roaming around your home and yard looking for sugary droppings, especially fruits and drinks like watermelon, cantaloupe, Kool-aid and soda pop. They carry pathogens such as salmonella, staphylococcus and even streptococcus. They like to build their nest near sources of food.
Red Ants - A common red ant can be found looking for food in your house and is without a doubt an unwanted guest since they have a nasty bite and can be aggressive.
White-Footed Ants - This type of ant is only found in Florida, they are harmless to humans and haven't been known to bite or sting. But they love sweets and can have colonies as large as 2 million members.
Even though household pest control is important when in comes to all types of ants you still have to admit, ants are fascinating creatures. Ants dominate the small-scale world. We may seldom notice them, but ants affect their ecosystems as much as humans do.
Here is a link I have stumbled across that I think you'd be interested in seeing, the world of types of ants and unbelievable photos.
The statement's made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
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