Ants

Ants are familiar insects living around households, restaurants, hospitals, offices, warehouses and almost any area where food and water are present. Ants belong to the insect order Hymenoptera and are close relatives of bees and wasps.

They are easily recognised in their common wingless adult forms, known as ‘workers’. Whereas winged ants usually leave the old nest and establish new colonies which are often mistaken for winged termites (alates).

Ants typically nest in the soil and these sites are usually nearby to places where food and water can be easily retrieved such as next to buildings, along sidewalks etc. They can also construct their nest under boards, stones, tree stumps or plants and sometimes under or protected places.

A long trail of ants may lead from the nests to food sources, causing considerable concern among building occupants and some ants are even aggressive stinging ants such as fire ants (common outdoor ants).

Types of Ants

Ant colonies can be a property owner’s biggest headache, especially if they aren’t managed well. While often viewed as harmless pests that come and go over time, they’re actually capable of being harmful to both residents of the property, and the property itself.

Ant infestations usually occur around food, as ants are generally attracted to even the faintest smells of anything sweet, which opens up doors for cross-contamination, or food-borne illnesses.

The most common type of ants that you’ll find around your home are:

BLACK HOUSE ANT (Ochetellus)

Generally, the black house ant isn’t regarded as a harmful pest—a nuisance, yes. They scavenge everywhere, from the garbage to your kitchen, picking up organisms and spreading them everywhere, leading to the possibility of catching diseases such as salmonella.

FIRE ANT (Solenopsis spp)

The least friendliest of the ant species, the fire ant is known for its aggression and painful sting that can result in pustules. They’re a pest both indoors and outdoors, as they are known to invade not only residential areas, but also agricultural sites, all while destroying crops in the process.

ODOROUS HOUSE ANT (Tapinoma sessile)

The odorous house ant, as its name implies, produces the unpleasant smell of a rotten coconut when crushed or killed. They tend to feed off sugar-filled foods such as fruits, and find home in moisture-heavy areas. In dry or hot environments, they’ll build nests in houseplants or toilet lids.

CARPENTER ANT (Camponotus pennsylvanicus)

Often mistaken for termites, the carpenter ant thrives in wooden structures but does not consume wood. Constantly on the hunt for food that contains sweet substances, fat, grease, and meats, they rarely have human contact and are quick to attempt escape whenever they do as they lack the capability to sting.

Diseases and Health Risks Associated with Ants

Transport Food-Borne Illnesses

Ants can bring with them any number of other food-borne diseases like Shigella, clostridium, salmonella, staph, strep, E. coli, and various fungi. If ants gain access to your food (whether in a pantry or even while you’re eating), they can transmit bacteria instantaneously.

Even if food is kept secure from ants, cross-contamination is always a risk. Children, the elderly, and anyone who is immunosuppressed have a greater chance of becoming ill from exposure to bacteria.

Infection or Allergic Reactions

If you’ve ever been bitten or stung by an ant, you already know how disproportionately painful these injuries can be in relation to the creature’s tiny mandibles. This is because, like many other biting and stinging insects, ants deposit venom when they bite. For individuals who are already highly sensitive to ant venom, just one or two bites can be enough to cause some serious itching, burning, and swelling. And if this swelling is enough to break the skin, the bite victim could become vulnerable to skin infections like cellulitis.

Meanwhile, fire ant stings can cause a strong adverse reaction even in those who aren’t usually sensitive to ant venom. These stings quickly generate painful, itchy lesions that can break the skin. If an individual is bitten by multiple fire ants at once, they can even risk going into anaphylactic shock. While indoor fire ant infestations are fairly uncommon, anyone planning to go hiking or camping in a recreational area should be sure to pack a first-aid kit that includes sterile bandages and antihistamines.

Solutions and Treatments for Ants

Ant management requires a lot of work in concentric circles as it’s not just monitoring & exclusion. It should focus more on good sanitation & maintenance after proper treatment from a professional pest management company in Singapore.

Most effective treatments for ant management are baits as compared to spray because the food-gathering ants (workers) will share the poisoned bait with other workers and the queen ant in their colonies.

In summary, ants are attracted to areas where food and water are present. After successful treatment of an infested area, the occupants of the area should adhere to proper hygeine and cleanliness, and food storage to keep ants at bay.

Do you know…

Ants have superhuman strength! Ants are ridiculously strong. They have the ability to carry between 10 and 50 times their own body weight! The amount an ant can carry depends on the species. The Asian weaver ant, for example, can lift 100 times its own mass.