Ants are an interesting pest. Are they unpleasant in a home? Of course they are! They're creepy-crawly-tickly-itchy-stinky creatures, and depending on species, they can cause structural damage. I still think it's a good idea to take care of an ant infestation, even though I find them interesting.
Something I recently read at http://www.biokids.umich.edu was about how ants position in the colony is determined by how much and what they are fed in their infant stages. Food source and amount determines not only the size of an ant but the caste within the society. So a queen ant, or the workers (depending on the age of the colony) will feed the various larva different foods and in different amounts to raise more workers, soldiers, males, queens, etc depending on the needs of the colony.
Within an ant colony, there are many different types of ants. All of the ants are (generally speaking)the same species, but they look different, their purpose to the colony can be determined based on what they look like. An ant with a larger head and jaw is likely a protector/soldier of the nest and may also be a forager. Smaller ants are likely to be in-nest workers, digging and caring for the young. Ants with wings are reproductive, the smaller winged ants are general male and the larger are female. Before reading about it, I didn't realize that this position is determined as they develop, and is based on quantity and type of food.
Here is a fire ant video by national geographic. Not exactly on theme, but about ants and pretty interesting.
If you're having a problem with ants, whether they are moisture ants, odorous house ants, carpenter ants, big ants, small ants, or any other pest give us, at Peak Pest Management a call, send us an email or check out our website for more information!
Micah Wood
www.peak-pest-management.com
micah@peak-pest-management.com
Portland 503-998-4322
Vancouver 360-607-1933
Seattle 206-790-8285
Biokids: University of Michigan (2002-2013). Ants, Formicidae. http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Formicidae/
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