Description:
Adult ants belong to one of three different classes within the colony; queens, workers or males. Queens are fertile females and lay all the eggs in the colony. Workers are non-reproductive females. They are responsible for collecting the food the colony needs, feeding the larvae, cleaning the nest, protecting it from intruders and maintaining it. Worker ants do not have wings. Male ants have wings and their only responsibility is to mate with queens during the swarming process.
Behaviour:
Ants can be a seasonal or year-round problem. Many species of ants build their nests outdoors and become a problem when they move indoors in search of food. Once they find a good food source indoors, they begin to come in constantly and carry food back to their nest. The ant species we often encounter in this way are Black Garden Ants, Pavement Ants, Carpenter Ants, Pharaoh Ants and Thief Ants. Although the struggle of each of them can be challenging, especially Pharaoh Ants are the most difficult ant species to control. Ants hide indoors in hidden sheltered places close to the food source and humidity; wall cavities, inside sockets, under window frames and floor cavities, etc. Since ants are pests that are well adapted to living with humans, they can consume the same foods as humans. They like sugary, meaty, starchy foods
Prevention
- Make your home as unattractive as possible for ants. If they cannot find food and water available in the environment, they are unlikely to come and settle in your home. Any kind of food or food particles can be attractive to ants.
- Store foodstuffs, especially pet food, in closed containers. Clean the counters and floors frequently.
- Most ant products sold in supermarkets only kill the ants you see. Only really effective methods penetrate the nest and destroy the entire nest. In addition, home-made anti-ant mixtures ignore the fact that different ant species require different approaches and therefore cannot be successful.
Consult a specialist for help.