Although ants are not thought to carry diseases, the possibilities of where they have been before arriving at your premises are extremely worrying - you don't want them crawling through your property's food storage areas.
Ants will travel a long distance in search for food sources and leftovers; in most cases leaving trails so that other ants can find the same food source with ease. These particular insect infestations can become a real nuisance for businesses and households.
Garden Ants/Black Ants
Appearance
- Workers 4–5mm long.
- Queens 15mm long.
- Dark brown–black in colour.
- 1 small segment at waist point (pedicel).
- No sting present.
Lifecycle
- Queens overwinter in soil. Eggs are laid in late spring. Larvae hatch 3–4 weeks later.
- Larvae feed on secretions from the queen''s salivary glands until the first worker ants emerge.
- Worker ants continue with larval care, nest building and food foraging.
- Fertile males are produced later in the season.
Habits
- Foraging worker ants follow well–defined trails around food sources. Sweet foods are preferred but high protein foods will also be taken.
- Swarming characteristics – mating between queens and fertile males takes place on the wing mid to late summer. Males perish after mating.
- Nest locations – often outdoors in soil and below paving slabs on the sunny side of buildings. Nest locations can be identified by the presence of finely powdered soil around nest exit holes.
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