Ants

Most ant species are highly social insects living in permanent nests, which according to the species, may be built into the ground, in timber, in walls or roofs. They are usually brown or black in colour, although there are some species with different colours, like red, yellow or white.

Ants are very strong insects, managing to carry loads 25 times heavier than their own bodyweight. The life span of an ant varies greatly, worker ants live for about 12 months, while females can live up to 15 years. Ants use their antennae not only for touching, but also for smelling. On their head, there is a very powerful pair of jaws, functioning like scissors.

Adult ants are not able to chew and swallow solid food. They can only swallow the liquid from food pieces they compress, throwing away the remaining solid part. Ants have two composite eyes, each one of which, consisting of many smaller eyes.

There are four distinctive stages during an ant’s life cycle, that is, egg, larva, pupa and adult. More than 10.000 species of ants are known, varying in size, color and habits. An ant colony consists of the queen (or queens, if it is too extended) and numerous workers.

Queen and workers, are all female. Workers are the ants we very often see carrying food or digging holes for nesting. The queen stays in the nest and her only concern is to lay eggs. There are also male ants, living sometimes in the nest. Their only task is to mate with the queen. After mating, they usually die. Ants can cover long distances searching for food. Even in the cleanest place, ants may find some quantities of food. In that case, great numbers will invade the place, making it necessary to call for professional aid, to get rid of them. The ant is a very annoying insect, due to its presence in great numbers.

Although they generally do no damage to timber framed houses, they often will discard rotting timber from their new nesting sites within wall cavities, particularly around interior window and door frames. Often, the hownowner may not be able to identify the what is causing "sawdust" appearing near the skirting boards. It is advisable to engage a professional pest controller to undertake a full termite inspection of your property, particularly if an inspection has not been performed within the last 12 months. Complete ant elimination is rarely possible outdoors as their natural environment is usually underground. Eradication of ants indoors can also be very challenging and can somtimes involve several visits by professional pest controllers. Control is usually achieved by combining the use of baits and insecticides. Please control North Shore Pest Control for further advice regarding ant treatments.