Nothing spoils a picnic more than seeing a trail of black ants travel over the food, down the table leg and off into the distance.
Where You’ll Find Black Ants
Black ants eat everything, vegetables, fruit and other insects, dead or alive. They especially love anything made with sugar or grease. The worker ant forages for the food, returns to the nest and alerts the others. The worker marks the trail by leaving a scent, produced by pheromones, along the way. Upon reaching the colony, the ant uses its antennae to brush against the other worker ants. This causes them to seek out the trail, get the food and bring it back to the nest. Though small in size the little black ant can transport items 20 times their weight.
Little black ants should not be confused with carpenter ants. Little black ants are located all over the world. They can be found in the backyards of most American homes. The nests can be located anywhere, in trees, under rotten wood and stones. Indoors, they’ll make a home under old carpeting, cracks and openings found in woodwork and the foundation. The majority of black ants found in the house are looking for food to take back to the nest.
Black Ants Appearance
Like their name, little black ants are small and jet- black in color. The scientific name is Monomorium minimum. Worker ants measure 1/16th of an inch. The queen is twice as the size at 1/8th of an inch. The colony consists of male ants, larvae, infertile female workers, all ruled by the queen. In some nests there will be two or more queens. There can be thousands of ants in the colony. When the colony is no longer able to support it, one of the queens and her workers will leave and start their own colony.
Black ants have a small stinger located at the rear of the abdomen but it’s not very effective, its effect is quite mild. The purpose of the antennae is to smell as well to touch. This is the ant’s way of communicating. The adult ants have six powerful legs along with a strong jaw. Although they have a jaw, they cannot chew food. The throat is long and thin, allowing for the swallowing of liquid from food, but not the solid bits.
Preventing Black Ant Infestation
Good housekeeping is best way to prevent an infestation of ants in the house. All food should be kept in closed containers. A solution of half water and half vinegar can be poured into a spray bottle and used on the kitchen surfaces. Ant bait can also be used. Caulk all openings into the home.
Treating Black Ants
The mistake most people make when attempting to control ants is only spraying the ones they see. This approach usually fails because the ants seen foraging over exposed surfaces is only a small portion of the colony. Typically, there will be thousands of additional ants including one or more egg-laying queens hidden somewhere in a nest. Eliminating queens and other colony members within nests is often the key to effective ant control.
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