Meet the black ants
Representatives of this species live in a colony, in which there is a class division into worker insects, males and the queen. The queen never leaves the nest. Working individuals are engaged in collecting and delivering food to the anthill. The size of each individual depends on the occupation and class category. So, the largest is the uterus, its length reaches 10 mm. Males usually grow to 5.5 mm, workers - 5 mm, and young females - up to 4.5 mm. The latter are distinguished by the fact that they can grow wings.
Another interesting fact is that the uterus can live up to 28 years. The lifespan of males is 1 month, that of a worker ant is from 1 to 3 years. The young female leaves the colony after fertilization to build her nest.
The peculiarity of black ants is that they love to feast on honeydew, a sweet liquid secreted by aphids. And that’s not all - in order to always have a sweet treat, the ants learned to breed aphids, create their own “pastures,” and, if necessary, move these “cash cows” to a new place.
Damage caused
Despite the fact that insects benefit humans by eating carrion, fallen rotten fruits,
they can cause serious harm to gardening:
- they leave behind aphids, sucking the juice of the young foliage of plants;
- arranging anthills on lawns spoils the aesthetic appearance;
- eat the roots of trees, other green spaces, foliage, sweet vegetables, berries, root crops;
- spread harmful bacteria throughout the garden plot, infecting plants.
Black ants living in houses are also harmful:
- carrying the remains of household waste and technical waste, they bring dangerous bacteria into the apartment;
- damage food products;
- They carry leftover food around the rooms, creating favorable conditions for the development of fungus and mold.
If even one individual of an insect of this species is detected, measures aimed at destruction should be immediately taken.
Where do they come from in the house?
What is useful to know about black ants in order to deal with them more effectively:
- In an apartment building, these insects enter the premises through ventilation shafts from the basement or attic.
- In the warm season, female ants with wings enter the apartment through open windows.
- If in an apartment building one of the neighbors began to actively fight ants, then these insects will be forced to look for a new habitat, which means they will crawl into neighboring apartments.
- These insects love warmth, so during cold weather they try to find a more comfortable home and move into your house or apartment.
- The abundance of food is the main factor in choosing a place to live. If your apartment is not sparklingly clean and there is no regular cleaning of the premises, then soon expect uninvited black sneaks.
Note: black ants love the sweet juice secreted by aphids, but, nevertheless, they are classified as omnivores. This means that they can easily find food in the house: crumbs on the floor, dinner leftovers on the stove or splashes of grease, pieces of food in a pet’s bowl, “treats” from the trash can.
Types of insects
There are more than 8,000 species of black ants. Their population is constantly growing, forming new varieties, with some changes in color, behavioral characteristics, and preferred habitats.
Commonly encountered species include:
- black garden ants. They build anthills on the soil, feed on rotten wood, rotten fruit, and fallen leaves;
- Camponotus (carpenter ants) are characterized by a bright red or black-red color, up to 1.2 cm long. Protecting themselves from the enemy, they emit a specific smell. They feed on insects, carrion, and sweet rotten fruits;
- small black ants up to 3 mm in size that live in houses emit an odorous liquid when they are crushed. From food they prefer sweets, honeydew, weak dying insects;
- turf insects are black-brown or black in color. They feed on sweets, fatty foods, and insects. Active at night. They live under tree roots, paving slabs, in turf, and fight among themselves in colonies;
- fast or crazy populations are characterized by chaotic, erratic movements, often going off the route. They are yellow or black in color.
Large black ants can live both in garden plots and sneak into apartments, causing harm to humans.
How to quickly remove ants
The golden rule for successfully controlling these insects is to destroy the queen. If you kill even a few dozen working individuals, this will not affect the colony in any way. The main queen will make up for the loss very quickly. Therefore, it is advisable to find an ant nest, and it can be located both in the house itself and outside it. Ants build their houses in hard-to-reach places: under the floor, in the cracks of the walls, behind the baseboard, under the wallpaper. But if you observe the behavior of insects, you can track their path, which will always lead to an anthill.
You can remove black ants using chemicals or using home methods.
How to ventilate and clean the room after treatment
After the treatment procedure, it is necessary to ventilate the room. It is advisable to leave the apartment or private house for a few minutes, and then return and open all windows and doors to the street. When carrying out pest control, it is better not to return to the house for 24 hours.
Important! There is no need to resort to mopping the floor. This will enhance the effect of exposure to chemicals. It is recommended to wait about three days and then wipe the surface with a cloth moistened with plain water without adding detergents.
It is necessary to pay attention to the attached instructions, which usually describe all actions in detail.
Chemicals
Manufacturers of household chemicals offer a wide range of products for exterminating small pests. These include aerosols, gels, pencils, syringes, powders, and traps.
How to use the drug is indicated in the instructions from the manufacturer. For example, the spray is sprayed in places where insects often appear, along the paths of their movement, and on the nest itself. The gel can be applied to cardboard and left where the ants were found. Lines are drawn with chalk near the ventilation holes, favorite places - under the sink, near the trash can, along the path of insects. The powdery substance is dissolved in water, and then baseboards, cracks, and walls are sprayed with this liquid.
Exterminator team
Sometimes your own strength is not enough to destroy small goosebumps. If there is a large anthill near the house (or inside the house), pest control will be very difficult.
Experienced specialists are equipped with the necessary equipment and powerful insecticides. After treating the room, all insects will disappear forever. The disadvantage of this service is its high cost.
The main thing is not to let the situation get worse and start fighting insects as early as possible. You can get rid of ants using inexpensive drugs.
Traditional methods
Most often, these methods are no worse in effectiveness, but are safer for the health of people and pets.
Repelling with an unpleasant odor
There are a number of herbs and foods that small black insects simply cannot tolerate. But this option is only suitable as a temporary one: it will only scare away the ants, but there will still be a possibility of them returning.
What you need to do: place dried chamomile flowers around the apartment. You can also use anise, cloves, peppermint, sunflower oil, pepper, garlic.
Sweet trap
Pour water into a deep container, add 2 tbsp. lie honey or jam. Place the jar where ants are common. Insects will crawl inside to feed, but will not be able to get out.
Using products that are not digestible in the stomach of insects
Ants love the smell and taste of cornmeal, but their digestive systems cannot handle it. Sprinkle flour along travel paths.
Starch and coffee grounds will have the same effect.
Use of a poisonous substance
Borax or boric acid is harmful to ants. Mix this powder with a small amount of water, add honey or jam. Place the resulting mixture on saucers and place it in the corners of the house, on ant paths. The ant will taste the treat itself, and will also definitely take some of the treat to the colony. This will cause infection of most of the anthill. Another advantage of this method is that the poison does not begin to act immediately, but after 2 hours, i.e. the individual will have time to return to the anthill.
Foundation treatment
If ants have attacked a private house, then try this option: coat the foundation of the house outside with creosote. This will prevent insects from entering the home.
Preventive measures
Prevention of ants
How pests get into the house is already clear. But what needs to be done to drive away the ants - first of all, you should take care of the prevention of this unpleasant phenomenon, namely:
- do not leave dirty dishes after eating, immediately wash and wipe the plates and cutlery dry;
- do wet cleaning in the kitchen every day;
- wipe all kitchen surfaces and sinks with a vinegar solution;
- Wash all bottles and cans thoroughly after use;
- seal food hermetically;
- remove all products that have a strong sweetish odor.
By following these rules, you can try to escape from an insect invasion. Keeping your home clean and tidy is always easier than getting rid of uninvited guests. The lack of comfortable living conditions will force them to leave, but if these measures are not enough, then more serious protection will be required.
