What Do Ants Eat?
Have you ever wondered what do ants eat?
It is an interesting question and it actually tells you a lot about how pest control for ants works.
Before going into specifically what ants eat, let me first explain how ants eat.
As you probably know, most ants live in colonies.
They are social insects and their colonies contain several different types or castes of individuals. The castes include soldiers, workers, queens and males.
Their colonies remain intact through the winter by hibernating. However, if a colony occurs indoors, the individuals may remain active all year-round.
Do ants regurgitate food?
Like many social insect colonies, ants share food among nestmates. Ants store liquid food within their bodies and then regurgitate it to nestmates and thus distribute it over large portions of the colony.
During lean periods, parts of the colony can serve as a living reservoir to conserve food. In other words, some worker ants are filled with food and regurgitate over the time period to keep feeding the colony during a time where no new food supplies are coming in.
These worker ants who are storing food within their foods can be seen if you pay attention to their abdomen. The more filled it is with food supplies the more distended it becomes. Ants can become so filled with food that they have difficulty moving around.
While it is stored within the body, the food is not digested.
When a worker ant arrives at the colony with the food supplies, a nestmate will approach it. The nestmate then stimulates the worker ant with signals by moving the antenna and its forelegs. It will go as far as stroking the worker ants antenna. This then results in the worker ant regurgitating the food, ant the nestmate feeding of the booty.
What specifically do ants eat?
Ants eat plants, seeds and decaying plant and animal material. Many types of ants prey on other insects. Termites are one of the insects that they prey on.
Honeydew, which is the sweet substance produced by aphids is also a favorite for many ants. Honeydew is a liquid rich in sugar. It is secreted by aphids as they feed on plant sap.
Due to them liking honeydew, ants act as the protectors of aphids. Aphids have natural predators such as ladybugs, and ants tend to guard aphids from ladybugs. Parasitic wasps also prey on aphids.
What Types of Ants Are in New Jersey?
The most common species throughout New Jersey are:
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How Do You Keep Ants Away From Your Home?
The first part of keeping ants away is to eliminate any moisture issues around the house. Faulty drainage around gutters are a frequent condition that leads to infestations.
To make sure that ants don’t find their way inside your house, the best way is to start moving them away from your home. Regular pest control treatments are effective in creating an insect free zone around your house.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Your Yard?
If you are having ant issues in your home, you are probably finding ant hills in your yard. The yard is typically the source of any ant activity inside your house. Once ants are eliminated in your yard, your ant issues in the home will most likely disappear. Start by finding the ant hills. You can eliminate the ant hills with an appropriate insecticide treatment. Sometimes you can eliminate an ant hill by pouring boiling water on it.
Once the ant hills are taken care of, it is best to make sure any conducive conditions to ant activity are eliminated. Standing water in your backyard can draw unwanted pests. Do your best to eliminate any sources of standing water. Firewood is also a gathering place for ants, especially carpenter ants. Store firewood twenty feet or further away from the house. It is also important to keep branches and shrubbery trimmed and away from the house. When branches are close to the home, ants can easily use them as a bridge to your home. Also, you can always call professionals for quick and reliable care to get rid of ants in your yard. Professionals are trained in getting rid of your ant issues and will do everything they can to protect your home and yard.
For more info on our ant services:
Our flying ant control services
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Where are all these ants coming from?
How to eliminate ants inside your home.
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