Ants
- Ants are social insects. They live in colonies and have a caste system consisting of :
- Queen - lays the eggs
- Workers - tend the young, build and repair the nest, forage for food and defend the colony from invaders
- Immatures
- Males - these are "produced" at times for mating with reproductive females .
- Ants are related to wasps and bees. They have a pinched waist and elbowed antennae. They also may have a modified ovipositor, or stinger. The stinger is attached to a poison gland and can allow the ant to inject venom. Ants will use the stinger in defense of the colony.
- Ants are primarily beneficial insects - they help to recycle decaying organic matter. Ants also feed on pest insects.
Some of their species include:
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A. Fire Ants
- Red imported fire ants are a reddish to blackish color. They have two nodes and have 10-segmented antennae with the last two segments forming a club.
- Fire ants are very aggressive; they are very protective against any perceived threat to their colony and will outcompete any other ant specie for food.
- Fire ants have multiple queen colonies, which causes mounds to be more numerous and closer together.
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B. Odorous House Ants
- Odorous house ants are brown or black in color.
- They have 12-segmented antennae and one node that is almost hidden by part of the abdomen.
- Colonies have multiple queens and can be located underground of above ground. Outside, these ants will nest in soil often below stones or boards, or in piles of debris or firewood.
- Odorous house ants usually move inside after it rains since the rain limits their food supply outside.
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C. Pharaoh Ants
- Pharaoh ants are small ants with a yellowish-red color.
- The queen is larger and reddish-brown color.
- This species of ant will place its nest just about anywhere. They will nest in any crack that is suitable to their needs. They prefer to be near a water source. They have also been found behind baseboards, under carpet, in planters and in electrical outlets. Nests may also be located outside in piles of debris, under shingles of roofs or in house gutters.
- Pharaoh ants forage most actively at night. They will lay down a pheromone trail from their nest to a food source so that other ants from the same colony can also exploit the food source. These ants will travel along pipes and wiring that are located in walls to obtain access to different rooms.
- Pharaoh ant colonies have multiple queens and new colonies are formed by budding. Budding is when groups of workers take eggs, larvae and pupae to a new location.
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D. Crazy Ants
- Crazy ants are small, blackish ants. They have very long legs and antennae. These ants are often seen running about in an erratic manner, giving them the name "crazy ant".
- Colonies of crazy ants can be small or large and contain multiple queens.
- Crazy ants will produce new colonies by budding or mating swarms.
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E. Carpenter Ants
- Carpenter ants are fairly large ants ranging from ¼ to ¾ of an inch in length.
- They can be colored black, red or a mixture of the two.
- This ant specie nests primarily under rocks, in tree holes or in insect-damaged wood. Carpenter ants create smooth galleries in wood that has been damaged by fungi or insects.
- A carpenter ant colony may have several satellite nests consisting of workers, mature larvae, pupae and winged alates. New colonies are formed by nuptial flights.
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