Ant + information = Antformation| Fun Fact Friday!

If you want one fun fact, here it is: all three sets of legs on an ant are located in the thorax, which is represented in the green section of the diagram below.

For more information, please keep reading!

I am actually not a graphic designer.  Just in case there was any question about that-- the proof above is an ant diagram created in Microsoft Paint.  For fun fact friday, I thought we could diagram an ant.  And I looked for a fun diagram I could grab online and found that there really wasn't a freebie I could snag and use.  So, you get my amazingly unartistic funky but functional Ant Diagram.

1. There is the head in the blue section of the diagram.
1. On the head there are antennae.  The thick end is called the club.
1. Antennae are bent, in constant motion and are used to sense, taste and smell.
2. There is also the mandibles, which in my diagram is that jagged angular area.
1. The mandible hides the mouth of the ant.  The mouth is used not just to eat but also to clean.
3. The large grey dot is called the compound eye.
1. Many ants have compound eyes made up of several lenses that form one picture in the ants brain.  Some ants have smaller compound eyes and those that spend most of their time in the dark may even be blind
4. The three tiny grey dots are the ocelli.
1. These are three simple eyes that sense light.
2. In the green section of the diagram is the thorax.  The thorax is made up of muscles.
1. Located in the thorax are all three sets of legs.
1. Ants legs are jointed.  You may be able to vaguely guess that from the drawing... MAYBE.
3. The purple section of the diagram is the petiole.
1. Some ants have one part here, others have two the second part is called the post-petiole.
1. The petiole allows ants to bend their gaster forward in order to sting or spray prey or in self defense.
4. The final portion of the diagram, in yellow, is the gaster.  The gaster contains the heart, digestive system, and protection/weapon. 
1. On the gaster in this picture I have shown a stinger, some ants can sting-- while others have a small opening and instead are able to spray acid.

This is a very basic diagram and break down of the anatomy of ants.  There are all kinds of things that could be added, but I figure if we are going to call this "Fun Fact Friday" this is just enough information to keep it from being information overload.  Each ant species is slightly different-- but you can get the basic idea of how ants function.

While ants may be interesting, they are not as fun and intriguing when they are invading your home, business, and other structures.  For help getting rid of ants, please contact me at Peak Pest Management LLC.  Carpenter Ants, moisture ants, soil ants, odorous house ants, sugar ants, ghost ants, and any other ants you might want to be rid of are well within our realm of expertise!  You can visit the website at www.peak-pest-management.com or give me a call at 360-607-1933 (WA) or 503-998-4322 (OR).

Ant Exterminator's Theme Song? The Ants go Marching....

The Ants go marching one by one hurrah! Hurrah!

The Ants go marching one by one, the little one stops to suck his thumb

The Ants go marching down, around, and through the town.....

(origin unknown/writer unknown)

Okay so this is the song that is running through my head!  Why?  Well maybe it's because I have kids who sing silly songs...  And maybe it's because I've seen a LOT of ants around Portland and Vancouver lately!  Probably a combination of those two things!  I caught an inseminated carpenter ant marching towards my house to find a place set up her colony.  The only galleries allowed in my house are set up by children with art they've done... Not carved out by carpenter ants destroying my home-- that ant tried messing with the wrong guy!  After all, I am a pest control professional-- naturally I exterminated the potential problem with one crushing blow (no product necessary for this job-- my shoe was the natural choice).

Carpenter ants can cause some pretty serious problems if they do become established in a wooden structure such as a home, garage, shed, fence, business building, etc.  The cost of getting rid of a colony early is far less than letting the infestation grow to the point of causing structural damage.  Because Carpenter Ants carve out galleries (smooth tunnel systems) in wood, they cause structural damage when the wood supporting a structure is compromised by extensive carving.

Carpenter ants are different than termites, people are often surprised to find out that they do not eat wood, they carve it out and leave a sawdust at the ends of their tunnels (this sawdust is not always in places where people will notice-- so just because their is no sawdust it is not safe to assume ants in the house are not carpenter ants).  Termites actually eat wood and have mud tubes and dirtier and less smooth tunnel systems.  There are other differences between carpenter ants and termites, but that is another blog for another day...  Today I'm just focusing in on ants!

There are many types of ants that can infest a home and they range in size from about 1/16th of an inch to 5/8ths of an inch.  There are sugar ants, odorous house ants, carpenter ants, moisture ants, ghost ants (they're real and alive).  Many types of ants are a nuisance but cause no structural damage, but there are ants that do cause damage so it is always a good idea to have a Pest Control Professional, come out and do an inspection.