Ant Colony

Key Takeaways

• An ant colony is a social group with a queen who lays the eggs, wingless sterile female workers and, at times, winged males and females.
• Colonies may live underground, in trees or in ground-level mounds, and some hold thousands of ants.
• Ants enter homes for food, water and shelter, and they are especially attracted to sweet food.
• Treating the nest is what ends the problem, not just the ants you see.
• Our ant treatments are suitable for children and pets.

What Is an Ant Colony?

Ants are close relatives of bees and wasps, and there are more than 10,000 species of ants worldwide, but only a small number normally infest homes. Ants can be identified by their three body parts, which are the head, thorax and abdomen, and by their antennae.

Ants generally eat any food but are especially attracted to sweet food, and they are social insects because they live in colonies and large groups. Depending on the type, an ant colony may have thousands of ants, and Control Pest Management is expert at detecting these colonies.

• Female workers do the work of the colony.
• The queen lays the eggs, and some colonies have more than one queen.
• Males mate with the queen.

Who Lives in an Ant Colony?

Each member of the colony has a job, and that division of labour is what makes a colony so effective.

Member	Role
Queen	Lays the eggs. She is winged at first and loses her wings after mating
Workers	Wingless, sterile females that build the nest and tend the queen, larvae and pupae
Soldiers	Defend the colony, with large heads and mandibles, in some species
Males	Winged, and they mate with the queen

Where Do Ants Build Their Nests?

Where the nest sits decides where you will see the ants and how it should be treated, so finding the nest is half the job.

• Underground, often in loose soil under stones, logs or paving.
• In trees and timber.
• In ground-level mounds.
• In lawns and garden beds, close to a food source.

Signs You Have an Ant Problem

A few ants in the kitchen can be the visible end of a much bigger colony outside, so watch for these signs.

• Lines of ants moving along benches, walls or skirting.
• Ants clustered around sweet spills, pet food or crumbs.
• Small piles of soil near cracks, paving edges or garden beds.
• Winged ants appearing in humid, warm weather.

Size and Lifespan of Ants

Ant sizes vary a lot by species. Queens are the largest members of a colony, while workers are smaller and do most of the visible work.

• Male ants: adult males die soon after mating with the female, and live only for a few days.
• Queen ants: the longest living member of the colony. Their job is to lay the eggs that keep the colony going.
• Worker ants: they do most of the work in the colony, such as taking care of eggs, and they support and maintain the nest. They are the non-reproductive female ants.

Control Pest Management can deal with all the different species and types of ants.

Why Do I Have Little Black Ants?

Little black ants can be found in vast areas such as under stones, logs, lawns and timbers. They build their nests in loose soil. They are mostly drawn to homes by greasy food, peanut butter, proteins, meat, crumbs, fruit, oils and sweets.

Outdoors, tiny black ants live on honeydew, other insects and pollen. Due to their small size, they quickly get access to houses and can contaminate food and packaging. Black ants are shiny black and up to 2 mm long.

Some Facts About Ants

• Ants do not have lungs. They take in oxygen through small holes all over the body and release carbon dioxide through the same holes.
• The female queen has wings, which she drops when she starts a new colony.
• After the death of the colony’s queen, the colony can live only for a few months, because workers are the non-reproductive members of the community.
• Depending on their species, ants can carry 50 to 100 times the weight of their own body.
• When the environmental conditions are humid and warm, winged females and males take part in the nuptial flight.
• A male adult usually spends most of his time mating with the female ants, and he lives from a few days to several months.

How to Get Rid of Ants

Killing the ants you see only deals with the workers, so for lasting results you need to deal with the nest and remove what draws the ants in.

• Remove standing water around your house, as ants, mosquitoes and termites are mostly attracted to moist environments.
• Keep plants and tree branches cut back from your house. Ants and some other insects use them to get into the home.
• Make sure there are no little openings and paths from the bottom of the house.
• Keep your bathrooms and kitchens clear.
• Repair all cracks and openings, such as torn doors and holes in window screens.
• Store food in airtight packets and containers.
• Don’t leave food crumbs on the floor, and vacuum spills straight away.

If you are unsure whether you have ants or termites, see our guide to termites vs ants.

Ant Control on the Gold Coast

For professional ant control on the Gold Coast, call Control Pest Management. Our technicians are licensed, fully insured and police checked, and our treatments are suitable for children and pets. We also service Brisbane, Gladstone and Logan. Request a free quote or call 1300 357 246.