Monday, January 6, 2020
Ant Colonies/Nests and Behavior
Ant Colonies and Nests
Highlights on the 'ant colonies'As a social insect, ants live in colonies. The colony's range is tens to millions. One or more queens, soldiers, women-winged worker castes, male ants, and other special groups are included in most colonies. As an insect, the ants are very successful in his survival. There are more than 20,000 species of ants and are found at most everywhere except some of the outlying islands and Antarctica.
In addition to Queens, workers, and male drones, colonies include eggs, larvae, and cocoon. Laying eggs is the Queen's main function. The eggs hatched into a grub-like larva which later turned into an adult ant. An unfertilized egg hatches a male, and the egg is fertilized into a female. Most female ants are sterile worker ants that do not compete with the Queen. They build and nurture nests, seek feeding, feed the queen and develop larvae, and retain nests. Very few fertilized ovum that hatched into the new queen. All males are lush drones, and their sole purpose is to breed with the Queen.
Nests protect ants from enemies, offers protection against extreme weather. Their nests are often found close to food sources and water. Some ant species are nested on the ground, often under concrete or stone slabs. Some species are found in wood such as fence posts, dead wood, perforated trees, or inside buildings.
Termites are also found in wood, but the termite damage is much wider. Ants can not eat wood like termites because they can not digest cellulose.
Behavior
All ants live in colonies and mostly build nests, although some species are nomadic. If you see ants looking to eat at your house or garden, they are worker ants. The ants you see looking for a meal in your garden or home are workers. These workers laid traces of pheromone, cultivating other insects to be used as food sources, and swarmed to create new nests. Ants can choose to eat oily foods, protein foods, or sweet foods. They attack homes to look for these substances.
Pheromones
The uniqueness of ants
Worker ants are looking for a meal, and when they find their food put a trace of the pheromone scent that tells other ant workers where to find food. Ants that find food at the end of the road reinforce the pheromone signal on the return journey to the hive; Once food sources are depleted, pheromone traces eventually disappear.
Relationships with Other Insect Pests
Some of the ant species develop mutualism symbiotic relationships with insects that damage plants. For example, Aphids and Mealybugs secrete sticky and sweet substances known as honeydew, and because Honeydew is a type of super food ant, ant colonies will defend insects that provide these foods. Sometimes ants will even move their insect friends, moving them to a new food source. Most insects that are bred by ants damage the garden plant by consuming sap or consuming leaves, so it is more important to control the outside ant population.
Swarmers-Winged Ants
Ant colonies produce winged ants known as swarmers. The swarmers leave the hive to multiply and start a new colony. If you see an ant clustered inside the house, it may be a sign that there is a nest in the building.
Termites also develop wings, to sfall during the spring, and look similar to winged ants. They differ in appearance in the following ways: The ants are thin-waisted and have an elbow antenna. Termites have an antenna that looks like a rope or small bead and its pyramid is thicker than the waist of the ant.
Do It Yourself Pest Control
Various ways to repel ants have also been done. If you have a lot of ants appearing at home, you can do other natural ways to repel ants from home.1. Clove
Clove can also repel ants from home. Just put some clove fruit in the place of many ants. The scent of clove that is good for humans is apparently unliked by ants.
2. Coffee
Unlike humans, ants do not like the smell of coffee. You only need to sprinkle the ground coffee in the ant nest area.
3. Wheat flour
Wheat flour will help repel ants from home. It's easy, you just have to sprinkle wheat flour in the areas that are entering the ants. For example, around the dining table, around the dining cabinet, and more.
4. Lemon
Citing various sources, lemon acids can also be used to repel ants. You just need to mix the lemon and water in a spray bottle. Spray lemon juice in the area where the ants live.
5. Pepper
Sprinkle black pepper on the edge of the floor. The ants strongly hate the spicy and hot scent that comes out of pepper.
6. Salt
Just like Pepper, you can also sprinkle salt to repel ants from the house. Sprinkle salt in the area of Ant House.
7. Chilli powder
You can sprinkle or put chilli powder in a container. Then place this chilli powder container near the food to repel the ants.