Ants
Cerpenter Ants
Carpenter ants, also known as sugar ants, are large ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world. They build nests inside wood consisting of galleries chewed out with their mandibles, preferably in dead wood. Red and black carpenter ants are two of the most common types found in Canada.
Pharaoh Ants
The pharaoh ant is a small yellow or light brown, almost transparent ant notorious for being a major indoor nuisance pest. Workers are only 2 mm long. Though they are a tropical species, pharaoh ants are quite comfortable inside temperature controlled buildings in Canada and other temperate climates.
Pavement Ants
The pavement ant, Tetramorium caespitum is an ant native to Europe, but also occurs as an introduced pest in North America. Its common name comes from the fact that colonies in North America usually make their homes in pavement. They are about 2.5 to 3 mm long, with parallel lines on head and thorax.
Ant Pest Control & Extermination Services
Currently, there are more than 100 species of ants in the country, all of which are destructive on various structures within your home. Once the ants establish a colony in your home, they can be very hard to control. Repetitive control, measures by the specialists may be required to get rid of ant colonies in your home. However, you need to understand the species of ants you are dealing with, so as to be in a better position to control them.
Appearance and Identification
Ants vary in color, but the majority of them have dark brown, black or tan colors. The color of the ants is mainly determined by the species of the ants. Their body length is between 1.5 mm and 13 mm. They have three main body parts, the head, thorax and abdomen. The thorax part of the body is joined to the abdomen by petioles. The number of petioles on the ants depends on the species of the ant. They have three pairs of legs and no wings.
Ant Types in the Country
The most common type of ants, which infest man-made structures, in the country include the pavement ants, black carpenter ants, odorous house ants, Pharaoh ants, thief ants and Argentine ants. The black carpenter ants are among the largest ant species, in terms of size and can lead to high levels of damage on structures. If nesting indoors, the pavement ants can be a real nuisance to the house owner. The Pharaoh ants are normally attracted into the house by protein and sugary substances.
Diet
The dietary requirements of the different species of the ants vary throughout the year. For instance, for the period between spring to summer, they will require more proteins to enhance the development of their larvae. During the summer season, ants require more energy to prepare nests for the purpose of winter relocation, hence the increased need for carbohydrates. Ants get their carbohydrates from sugary substances, such as honeydew and nectar. Being omnivorous, the ants will feed on almost any human food substance in the house.
Habitat
Ants are social insects and exist in colonies of up to thousands of ants. Some ant varieties live in the soil, while others, like the carpenter ants, tunnel into wood to create nests. Foraging for food brings the various types of ants into human houses; they are attracted by food and sugary substances in the house.
Life Cycle
The majority of ant species have a single queen per colony, whose sole role is to lay eggs. The queen selectively fertilizes the eggs to determine the sex of the ants. The fertilized eggs may either develop into winged queens, capable of reproducing or wingless and sterile workers. The unfertilized eggs, on the other hand, develop into winged males, whose sole purpose is to mate with the queen. The eggs hatch after a couple of months into larvae. The larvae are fed to and taken care of by the worker ants until they develop into the pupa. The pupas remain sealed in cocoons until they become adults.
Problems Associated with the Ants
Some ant species of ants, such as the Pharaoh ants can transmit infection, especially in the health care facilities. Once they infest the home, ants can lead to a high level of damage on wooden structures. They will also attach the lawn and garden and destroy the vegetation. As such, they need to be gotten rid of by specialists.
To effectively control any type of ants in your homes, you need to call on the experts, such as AMG Extermination to exterminate them and ensure that they do not occur again in the future.
