Ecoguard

In Australia there are over 4000 known species of ants. A handful of these are considered pests. Pest ants often nest in and around buildings, congregate in food preparation areas and have the potential to spread disease. Ants feed on a wide variety of foodstuffs. Ants are social insects that live in more or less permanent nests. Nests contain one or more queens, males, and immature forms that are fed and cared for by sterile workers. Workers may be specialized, for example into minor and major(or soldier) castes. These perform specific tasks and appear physically different. Ants are not related to termites, and cannot damage sound timber.

 

Ants range in size from about 0.08 inch (2 mm) to up to about 1 inch (25 mm) long. 

 

Ants communicate with each other using chemical signals called pheromones. Like other insects, ants perceive smells with their long, thin and mobile antennae. The paired antennae provide information about the direction and intensity of scents. Since most ants live on the ground, they use the soil surface to leave pheromone trails that can be followed by other ants. A crushed ant emits an alarm pheromone that sends nearby ants into an attack frenzy and attracts more ants from further away. Several ant species even use "propaganda pheromones" to confuse enemy ants and make them fight among themselves .Pheromones are produced by a wide range of structures including Dufour's glands, poison glands and glands on the hindgut, pygidium, rectum, sternum and hind tibia. Pheromones are also exchanged mixed with food and passed by trophallaxis, transferring information within the colony. This allows other ants to detect what task group (e.g., foraging or nest maintenance) other colony members belong to.  

 

Most ant species live in the soil. Some, like the carpenter ants, also live in wood (they excavate, but do not actually eat the wood). Some ants live in cavities made inside plants, such as acorns, twigs, and galls.

 

 

Ants attack and defend themselves by biting and, in many species, by stinging, often injecting or spraying chemicals like formic acid. The sting of Jack jumper ants can be fatal, and an anti venom has been developed. Fire ants are unique in having a poison sac containing piperidinealkaloids. Their stings are painful and can be dangerous to hypersensitive people.