Ants have become the primary pest infestation of homes in recent years.
Usually they are very difficult to control. Successful control of ant colonies takes some skill that is gained through knowledge of ant behavior and experience in dealing with ants.
Ant identification can be quite a challenge since there are more than 700 species reported in the United States. Ants very rarely travel alone so always look for their trails. They are usually spotted when they’re hunting for food source as their colony travel along paths that have been well established. Are they identical or do they vary in size? Also observe when the ants are active, during the day or at night? Try to look for nests at the end of trails.
Ant infestations tend to happen fast, whether your ant problem is an annoyance or an all-out infestation, you may be surprised how fascinating these ants actually are.
Facts about ants:
- Ants can be hard to kill
- Some common ants are new to the U.S
- Ants live in complex cultures
- Ants are social insects that live in colonies.
- Each ant has a different function or job in the colony.
- Workers forage for food, construct the nest and care for the young and the reproductive.
- The original queen’s job is to lay eggs.
- Swarmers are winged males and females that fly out to start new colony
- These Swarmers mate during the swarm, and the male dies soon after.
- The queen then locates a suitable nesting site, sheds her wings and begins to set up a colony.
The lifespan of ants depends. Males live for only a few weeks and die after mating. Workers usually live for several months. Queens can live for a long time under the right conditions. Ants are active all year long in tropical climates. In cooler climates, they survive the winter by going into a state of dormancy or inactivity.
To get rid of ants, it is important to identify the ant species. Some ant species, like Pharaoh ants, can be controlled using baits, while others cannot. To get rid of ants successfully, it is usually necessary to follow them back to their colony and treat the colony directly. An Advanced Termite and Pest Control professionals have the experience to identify your ant problem and eliminated.