If you having a problem with ants or any other pest then its time to give your Broken Arrow pest control company a call. During the winter months we experience a lot fewer pest control issues, but that doesn’t mean that pests are completely dormant. Ants are predominantly a problem in the spring, summer and fall months. But they still can be an issue in the winter. While the outdoor ones remain dormant and underground, indoor ants are hard at work causing issues in peoples homes. In this article, let’s take a hard look at ants, their life cycle and what are you and your Broken Arrow pest control company can do to eliminate these pests.
EUSOCIAL ANTS AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
Ants are a eusocial insect. This means that they have a large colony made up of many individuals that all work towards a common goal. These insects will give their lives for the colony and are dedicated to their post. In order to get the jobs done that are necessary to survive as a colony, then these insects must separate the work into a caste system. At the top of the caste, we have the reproductive caste. The queen is the main reproductive in this caste. She will lay all the eggs that will maintain the population of the ant colony. Laying eggs is a 24 seven operation and she will do it until the day she dies.
In addition to the queen, we also have aelates. Some ant colonies will use aelates to multiply their colony. Once a colony gets to a certain age, it will create winged ants that will be used to create new colonies. These ants will leave the colony and fly into a swarm of flying ants. These like minded ants are all looking for a mate. A male and female with pair up, mate in mid air, and then land somewhere to create a new colony. Contact your Broken Arrow pest control company for more information
SOLDIER ANTS AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
The second caste in the system is the soldier caste. These castes are tasked with protecting the colony from invaders and other defensive and offenses issues. If the colony is attacked, these insects will come to life. And with large, muscular heads, powerful mandibles, glands with sticky, or acidic substances, and many other different offensive devices, they will protect the colony with their life.
The last caste in the ant colony is the worker caste. This caste is the most numerous of all the insects in the ant colony. These ants are all tasked with the menial jobs of the colony. They will take out the trash, forage for food, carry the food back to the colony, feed all of the other insects in the colony, take care of the young and anything else is required to keep the colony going. All of these ants are female. But even though they’re female, they are sterile, meaning that they cannot lay eggs. They will work day and night until they die off. Your Broken Arrow pest control company can help.
ANT WARS AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
Underneath our feet, and in our yards, there are is an enormous war that’s happened between ant colonies. These ants are all fighting for survival. They have many different ways in which they go back-and-forth and do what they do. One of the examples of a warring ant is the polyergus ant. These ants use pheromones against other ant species near them. These ants don’t have the ability to work and forage for food, nor any other work assignments. They will enter the colony of a nearby ant, emitting a pheromone that confuses the ants of the invaded colony. These ants will run from the attacking polyergus ants, and the attacking ants will go and find the larva and eggs of its prey.
They will carry off the eggs and eat the larva and carry them back to their own nest. Here they will hatch the eggs applying their own pheromones to these young. Once the eggs hatch, they will be completely loyal to the invading ants. They will work as workers for these ants until the day they die. Even if they find an ant of their original colony, they will become aggressive and try to protect the polyergus ant colony that they were adopted into. The polyergus ants must do raiding parties on a regular basis in order to keep their population large enough to support their colony. Eliminate them with your Broken Arrow pest control company.
ODOROUS HOUSE ANTS AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
The odorous house ant is another ant that we have here in Oklahoma. This ant is found almost exclusively inside. It gets its name from the fact that if you take one of these ants and crush it, it emits a smell much like rotten coconut. This unique smell gives it its name. These ants will find a place in your home to create a colony, and then march upon your food in order to survive. During the winter months, this is the most common ant that we deal with as a Broken Arrow pest control company.
Odorous house ants use a process known as splintering in order to multiply their colony. Basically the queen will emit a pheromone that tells the workers to remain sterile. These female workers will remain sterile as long as they continue to come back-and-forth to the colony coming into contact with this pheromone. But if a group of workers is separated from the colony for an extended period of time, they will no longer be near the pheromone. The first female to become reproductive will suddenly become a new queen and start to make her own pheromone. The other ants with her will work as workers, and now another colony has been created.
If you’re dealing with ants or any other pests, then its time to call in a Broken Arrow pest control company that can help. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we are the best in the business when it comes to dealing with ants or any other pests. We service the greater Tulsa area, including Jenks, Owasso, Bixby, Turley, Broken Arrow, Sand Springs, Prattville, Sapulpa, Coweta, Claremore, Catoosa, and much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!