Continuing from Friday…
Argentine ants are omnivores which mean that they will eat most anything that they come across. When massive colonies have been in place outdoors, these pests have proven to be a serious problem for most types of insects that they encounter. Outdoors they seek out insects that emit sweet food such as honeydew. Worker Argentine ants will protect aphids and scales on plants from all predators in their efforts to consume their sweet secretions. When these invasive ants find their way indoors, they prefer to dine upon sweets and greasy household foods.
In areas that Argentine ants have invaded, they have been known for being able to overtake other species completely. In a 2009 study by Ellen Van Wilgenburg, Johanna Clemencet, and Neil D. Tsutsui that was published by Royal Society Publishing, conclusions were found that a single encounter with a non-colony-mate tended to make the Argentine ants more aggressive to the other species. The scientists also discovered that these ants become more aggressive towards other ant species as they aged. This information is important to know because having Argentine ants in an area has proven to take over any area and displace or destroy other ant species thereby changing the naturally occurring ecosystem functions in the area.
Argentine ants are extremely difficult to control due to their massive numbers and their ability to multiply at an extremely fast rate. Left alone, it is not uncommon for one Argentine ant colony to become large enough to invade many homes or businesses at the same time. Argentine ants are not a do-it-yourself type of pest. They require the help of a Monmouth County, NJ exterminator like Allison Pest Control.