ANTs The Small Creatures Who May Inherit The Earth.

ANTs The Small Creatures Who May Inherit The Earth.

There are many types of ants that may be found in houses. Some are actual household pests, while others occasionally wander in to look for food or water.
Ants are often nuisance pests, and just their presence can be upsetting. They often get into foods and feed on them. Some species crawl over refuse, carrion, or sewage, which may afford them an opportunity to carry the causal organisms of some diseases. Food contamination can also occur and may result in allergic reactions by certain sensitive people. Some ants damage wooden structures, and others undermine slabs or patio stones. However, we should not forget that ants are beneficial in their natural habitat because they help clean up the environment.

Ants have three body regions (head, trunk, and gaster) distinctly defined by narrow constrictions. They have elbowed antennae, and the gaster is attached to the thorax by a waist that consists of one or two small separated segments.
There are three distinct castes of ants—queen, male and worker. There may also be different forms of each caste. Ants always live in societies known as colonies. Workers are wingless, but at mating time swarms of males and females are produced, usually winged.
LIFE HISTORY Adult winged males and females emerge from their cocoons and eventually leave the nests. Emergence of large numbers of ants (swarming) usually occurs at certain times and often this is the only time we notice the ants at all. Males seek out females in the swarm; mating usually occurs in the air. Males die soon after the mating flight, while the female (queen) starts a new nest. She removes her wings, forms a small cell, and starts a new colony by laying several eggs.
The surviving larvae mature, form pupae with or without spun cocoons, and finally emerge as adult ants. The workers are sterile, wingless females. The first workers are dwarfs, called nanites. When the workers emerge, the queen retires as nursemaid and concentrates on her job of egg production. The nanites take over as nursemaids for the next batch of eggs—they hunt for food outside the nest and do a better job of rearing larvae. Under their care the larvae produce normal-sized workers. Adult workers may live for weeks or up to two years or more. Queens have been known to live for as long as 20 years.
If your being colonized in your residence you should call a professional to exterminate the nuisance.