Ants are a common spring problem that you and your Tulsa exterminator take care of yourself. These colonizing insects are a brain trust of practical information about survival. These insects survive in the top of trees, our yards, and sometimes in our homes. As they search for food, sometimes they stumble into our homes looking for our pantries and kitchens. This is when their life as pests begin. It’s important that you understand ants, and how they work in order to keep them out of your home. So in this article, let us take a good hard look at ants, their lifecycle,  and what you and your  Tulsa exterminator can do to protect your home from them.

FIRE ANTS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Here in Oklahoma, we have two different types of fire ants. We have an indigenous fire ant and an invasive species of fire ant. The invasive species of fire ant is quickly displacing the indigenous one. This is very problematic not only for ecosystem, but also for us is in the pest control industry. The indigenous fire ant is aggressive, if you attack its mound, but nowhere near as aggressive as the invasive species version of the insect. These small, inconspicuous yellow ants, have a very strong, stinging bite. If you come near their nest, they will come out with armies of ants attacking. They crawl up your legs and bite your ankles until you run from them in pain. Fir ants can be a great nuisance in your yard or fields and need to be dealt with by a professional. Contact your Tulsa exterminator for help with that.

Eliminating this invasive species of fire ant is of great importance. These ants will actually attack the indigenous version of the fire ant and wipe out those colonies. They are quickly making the population of indigenous species of fire ant less and less in our area. This is upsetting the balance of the ecosystem, and could possibly eventually put them on the endangered species list. Because of this, if you’re having problems with fire ants, its important that a qualified exterminator come out and take care of the issue so that you don’t have to. They have a specialized tools and equipment to deal with these insects without having to worry about getting stuck. Contact you Tulsa exterminator for help

THIEF ANTS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Many ants are devious in the way that they survive. One of them is the thief ant. This ant will build its nest very close to a pharaoh ant nest. It will sneak into the pharaoh ant nest, and emit a pheromone that convinces the other ants in that nest that it’s friendly. The pharaoh ants think that the thief ant is just another one of their workers. But this ant has much more devious plans in mind. He will make his way down to the larva and egg portion of the colony. Once it reaches the brood, it will start to pick up these larvas and eggs, and carry them out of the pharaoh ant colony and straight into the thief ant colony. Here it will consume these eggs and larva as food, and feed them to its own young.

ENSLAVING ANTS

There are other ants that will actually create slaves. The amazon ant is known for its ability to do this. These ants are actually incapable of creating a worker that can tend to its colony in any way, shape or form. So what it does, is to form a raiding party in order to raid to a nearby, rival ant species. When it goes in, it will send out a pheromone that alarms the other ant forces and tells them to run away. Then it will ransacked the brood, taking larva and eggs from the victim colony. 

As it takes them back, some of the eggs and larva will become food for the amazon ant and its young. Then the rest of them will be placed in their brood and raised as if they were part of the amazon ant colony. The pheromones used on these eggs and larva will convince these ants to do their part in the amazon ant colony. These ants will end up working for the amazon ants and tending to their every need. Even if these ant slave do come in contact with their original colony, they will act aggressively defending the new colony. Contact your Tulsa exterminator for help with these ants.

FRIENDLY ANTS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Not every ant species uses devious methods in order to survive. The leaf cutter ant is a great example of this. These ants will go and cut pieces of leaves off of plants and bring it back to the nest. Deep down inside the colony is a fungus that they feed all of the leaves to. This fungus will break down the leaves and consume them, and then create a sweet, sticky substance that the ants can feed upon. The symbiotic relationship trades the protection that the fungus gets from these ants for the sweet food substance of the fungus puts off for the ants.

Some ants use herding and husbandry to survive. Aphids are a nectar sucking insect that draws its sustenance from the center of a plant stem. As it eats, this aphid will usually eat too much and will poop out a little bit of the nectar. This is known as honeydew. These ants herd these aphids an effort to protect the aphids in exchange for the honeydew did they produce.

If you’re having an issue with ants or, any other pest control problems, it’s time to call your Tulsa exterminator. 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 Broken Arrow, Sand Springs, Coweta, Claremore, Tulsa, Prattville, Sapulpa, Owasso, Turley, Jenks, Bixby, and so much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!