Ants are harmless and always marching in line. Their only reason for invading kitchens or in your home is in search of food crumbs, water and shelter. Ant infestations in Australian homes pose significant risks to your health, property, and overall peace of mind. Certain species of ants have evolved into formidable pests in Australia. Ants are also responsible for structural damage in Australia. Ignoring an ant infestation is not that good. To eliminate them, you need to get help from a professional pest control company.
But before this, you need to know about some common types of ant species in Australia.
- Argentine ant
Argentine ants are about 1.6mm long, light to dark brown, do not swarm, and do not sting. The worker ants are produced in spring and increase in numbers up until autumn and the winged ants are produced in early spring.
The Argentine ants drive out other ant species from an area. These types of ants follow food trails for long distances so that their nests are not easy to track. They prefer sweet foods but also eat live and dead insects, meats, cereals, and damaged fruit.
Scientific name : Linepithema humile
- Coastal brown ant
Coastal ants are yellow-brown. Their eggs are of a very small size. They nest in the soil and mostly in the dry areas. They eat food around the property, including meat, sweets, fruit, and greasy foods.
Scientific name: Pheidole megacephala
These ants don’t spread any diseases directly but they can contaminate your food.
- Black house ant
Black house ants are shiny and long. These ants are a nuisance and scavenge in kitchens. They are responsible for spreading lots of diseases as well. Black house ants are normally common ants. They are very attracted to sweets. This is the reason they are normally found in every home in Australia.
Some black house ants are yellowish and prefer meat and grease products. If you have a black ant infestation at your home, then it is advised to choose a professional pest control company to eliminate them and their colonies.
Scientific name : Ochetellus glaber
Diseases: Don’t carry any type of disease.
- Green tree ant
Green ants are black with metallic heads. Their nests are found in small colonies under the paths and among the rockeries. These types of ants live in bushy and urban areas and feed on vegetable origins. Their sting is painful, but they rarely enter the house.
Scientific name: Rhytidoponera metallica
Diseases: These ants are more sensitive people and kids could suffer a serious allergic reaction even from a single sting.
- Bull ant
Bull ants are also known as bulldog ants. This species of ant is about 18 to 20mm long and is red and black. These types of ants are very aggressive; nest outdoors in soil, create a nest in bushy areas, etc.
The bull ant can easily sting multiple times as their stings are very painful. These ants feed on other insects for their food. In this species of ant, each ant belongs to a specific caste, and they have a specific job to do. There are worker ants, soldier ants, the queen, and the males in their species.
Scientific name: Myrmecia Gulosa
Danger: Their stings can have lethal effects on humans. Anaphylactic shock is the extreme reaction of the human body to an antigen.
Diseases: Bull ants can cause severe allergic reactions like anaphylaxis, but in some cases, death as well.
- Carpenter Ant
Carpenter ants come in a variety of sizes. There are 3 sizes which include major workers, media carpenter ants, and minor carpenter ants. The role of major ants is to contain most of the large soldier ants, whereas media and minor ants gather food and construct colonies.
Carpenter ants are nocturnal. They do not travel in large numbers. This is the reason it is difficult to spot them. These ants feed on living and dead insects and consume anything. They are also responsible for damaging wooden objects. This is the reason they are carpenter ants.
Scientific name: Camponotus spp
Danger: Carpenter ants are dangerous to your property as they love to settle in wood and build tunnels. They weaken the internal structure of your property very easily, which can be dangerous for you.
Diseases: Don’t spread any type of disease.
- Flying Ants
These are the only ants that have wings. These types of ants have two sets of wings, a front pair and a back pair. The front pair of wings are longer than the back pair’s wings and have a brown tint on them.
Flying ants swarm during the summer months. They thrive according to the temperature, humidity, and weather conditions. After mating, the male flying ant dies, and the flying queen ant looks for new places to start her new colony. The location of the ants depends on the species. Once the new nest has been found, the queen sheds their wings and starts a new colony there. The new flying ant queen will lay her first batch of eggs and look after the young until they develop into workers.
Flying ants can be a huge threat to your property, so it is important to eliminate them from your property as soon as possible.
Scientific name : Ochetellus glaber
- Fire Ants
The queen fire ants are 1.59cm long and the worker fire ants are 3.18mm-6.35mm long. They are copper brown. The queen ant can lay up to 125 eggs in late Spring.
The fire ant workers feed on dead animals, insects, earthworms, etc.. Where worker ants’ honeydew and forage for sweet food, proteins, and fats. These ants are very aggressive and can inflict a painful sting. So it is advised to choose a professional pest control company to eliminate fire ants from your home. These types of ants are responsible for destroying crops as well. Only best pest control can eliminate them if they invade your area.
Danger: Venom of the fire ants is so strong, in some cases, you’ll need medical attention.
Read more about Fire Ants
- Garden ants
Garden ants are dark brown. They feed on sweet foods and prefer high-protein food. Their nest locations are often outdoors in the soil, especially on the sunny side of the buildings. The professionals at the pest control companies know the best treatment to remove them from your property.
Scientific name: Iridomyrmex spp
- Ghost ants
Ghost ants are translucent, pale, and 1.6mm long. The ghost ants feed on sweet substances and grease inside, whereas they feed on insects that produce honeydew in the outside area.
Scientific name : Tapinoma melanocephalum
Why did ants invade your home? And why are they a serious threat to Australian homes?
If you notice some of the uninvited pests in the form of ant colonies, then you are not alone. Ants become more active in the summer as compared to the winter because they enter the colony-building phase in this season. Some ants are dangerous and some not, but it is very important to get rid of them. You should know first where ants are coming from in your home.
Ants invade your home in search of shelter, food, and water. These tiny insects are foragers and can easily detect small crumbs of food as well. The ants are more attracted to sugary substances, greasy residues, etc. This is the reason their main target points are the kitchen and pantries.
Ants are looking for water sources as well, especially in dry and hot weather. Leaky pipes, damp bathroom tiles, and pet water bowls can attract thirsty ants very easily.
So it is very important to solve all these issues. This will help you a lot in solving your ant issues. But if you have a severe ant infestation at your home, then no diy or simple sprays will work on them. You need to contact an ant control Brisbane only. Book us today.
Choose Auzzie pest control to eliminate ant species from your home.
Auzzie pest control is one of the best and most effective pest control providers in Australia. If you are experiencing lots of ants in your home, especially in the kitchen and near the pantries, then you should contact the professionals of Auzzie pest control. The professionals know all the best ways to eliminate different types of ant species.
The professional identifies the species and suggests the right treatment according to them, so contact us for pest control for residential and commercial areas.
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