Ant

Ants may be something you almost never notice, or perhaps you’re always wondering “Why do I have ants in my house?“. Either way, there are one quadrillion (10,000,000,000,000,000) of these insects on our world—more than a million ants per person.

Let’s jump into the world of those tunnel-dwelling workers, soldiers and queens and find out a bit more about them.

Roger’s Ant Roger’s ant (Hypoponera punctatissima) can also reach 3mm in length but are much paler in colour than their Pharaoh cousins	Pharaoh’s Ant Pharaoh’s ants (Monomorium pharaonis) are yellow-brown in colour, and can reach up to 3mm. They also have wings.	Lasius Niger Lasius Niger is a formicine ant, the type species of the subgenus Lasius, which is found across Europe, South America.

 

Feeding habits and behaviour

Ants live in artificially-created ant mounds in class-based “societies”. Most ant societies compromise of workers, soldiers, drones and queen. Ants prefer sweets, sugar, foliage and rarely wheat products. Workers collect food and return it to their hives, where they store it for future consumption. Some ant species leave acidic trails around for orientation reference.

Why do ants come in the house?

When ants come in the house, they are looking for two things – food and shelter. Ants may come in the house because:

• Food was left out unsealed. That includes sugar, honey, pet food, ripe fruit, flour, etc.
• Juice and soda containers were thrown in the bin without rinsing.
• Your counters haven’t been wiped in a while and are covered in sticky spots and various scents.
• There is a valve leak or water build-up on your property.
• It’s seasonal – ants come in the house in the summer because they need to work harder to collect food for the winter. Hotter and drier weather means more ants in the house.
• It’s biological – some ant species prefer to build their nests indoors. That includes Pharaoh’s ants, carpenter ants, and pavement ants.

Risks and hazards

While ants are not known to carry any diseases, they still spread detritus, unhygienic matter, and allergens in your property. They can also cause huge damage to phone, electricity and computer networks in your premises.

At least one mass blackout in the UK has been caused by out-of-control ant hive near electrical wires. Such incidents can easily start a fire. Though small, their mandibles are powerful enough to sever wires and damage your appliances.

Although ants can nearly all bite or sting, a few cause significant reactions in humans. Because of their small size and mild sting people don’t have to be worried, however, ant bites are often painful, especially for young kids and babies.

Allergies

Unlike cockroaches, few people are allergic to ants. However, ants can be much easily ingested than cockroaches. Their small size allows them to remain unnoticed in your food. They also leave a trail of pheromones some people are allergic to. Ant bites can result in swelling and inflammation. They usually do not need special treatment.