The warmer springtime temperature has arrived in New Jersey and with such so has the emergence of many household pests that have been in hiding over the cold winter months. One troublesome pest that continues to cause problems, and often confusion for many New Jersey residents, is ants. Ants are on the constant hunt for food, water and shelter…all things that are in easy supply thanks to humans.
There are currently more than 12,500 species of ants in the world. Ants outnumber humans and have spread to every continent on the planet, except the Polar Regions. Like other insect species, ants play an important role in the nature. Ants pollinate plants, feed on dead or live insects, and aerate soil. Ants are social insects that live in large colonies or groups.
Here are a few interesting ant facts:
• Depending on the species, some ant colonies have one queen or many queens.
• When ants fight, it is usually to the death.
• The pheromone trail that ants leave behind tells them where they have been when they are foraging.
• Ants are amazingly strong. They can lift 20 times their own body weight!
NJ pest control professionals say that ant colonies contain three types of ants: the queen, the female workers and the males. Once she reaches adulthood, the queen ant is the only ant that can lay eggs. Queens typically live for many years, so it is not uncommon for her to produce millions of babies in her lifetime. When the queen of the colony dies, she is rarely replaced by another ant. Workers are not able to reproduce and the colony will die after a few months. The role of the male ant is to mate with the queen or future queen ants. Males do not live long after their job is complete.
Please check back on Wednesday for the conclusion.