Defence Against Ants Infestation in Singapore with Powerful Techniques
July 14, 2023
Warning Signs of an Ant Infestation You Should Never Ignore
July 14, 2023
Ants Pest Blog
With proper defence against ants techniques, you can say goodbye to unwanted pests and hello to a pest-free lifestyle.
Defence Against Ants Pest Blog - Part 2
Defence Against Ants in Singapore
Remember that a colony can consist of large numbers ranging from hundreds to thousands species of ants. The colony is lead by a single queen ant or multiple queens, various species can have two or up to thousands of queens. The queens lay eggs, thousands of eggs to maintain the colony population. Some species have male ants appoint as drones often have only one role, that is to mate with the queen.
Worker ants are the most visible amongst the colony and normally females ant workers store foods and never reproduce. Instead of foraging for food, they take care for the queen's offspring, work on the nest, and protect the colony life cycle. Workers are extremely strong to be able to carry 50 times their own body weight. They communicate by scent of pheromones that can alarm others to danger or lead them to a food source.
These species of ants prefer to feed on nectar, seeds, eat wood or insects. Some species have diets that are a little bit more unusual. Army ants possess large mandibles, when bitten gives a painful stings, they prey on small birds, reptiles or small mammals. As a colony, they thrives to multiply quickly in their nesting site that is normally close to food and standing water source.
Carpenter Ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus)
A carpenter ant colony can have approximately 3,000 workers, but this takes several years to develop. In the process, there may be little or no warning signs of their presence in your home. These species of ants in your home do not require to eat anything from the pantry or kitchen to survive. In United States, they can live comfortably off food sources that exist outside your home.
A workers can travel up to about 1,000 feet or more from their carpenter ant nests colony to find food. If you spot one crawling, it may be your one and only sign of a carpenter ant infestation. Important to know how to identify them by the single node in between their thorax to abdomen.
Size :
- 3/8" to 1/2"
- Shape : Eyes tiny, dark-coloured bodies, narrow waists, elbowed (bent)
- Colour : Black or blackish-red
- Legs : 6
- Wings : Hind wings that are shorter than front wings (if wings are present)
- Antenna : Yes
Diet :
They do not eat wooden structures, door frames or material and prefers to feed off plants like honeydew. And bodily fluids proteins from both dead or live insects. Occasionally, they feast on pet food and water if accessible.
Habitat :
Carpenter ants normally nest in the dead damp wood of trees, tree stumps, damage wood logs and dead branches. They also nest in building material that are rotten by moisture like homes, doors and cabinets have become their target.
Impact :
When a carpenter ant or red wood ants colony matures, ant breed produces winged adult male and female alate. During swarmer seasons the nuptial flight, ants with wings will come flying in group hovering lights or enter your home. If you hear a soft scale insects rustling sound within your walls, you could potentially have an infestation.
Prevention :
- Stack wooden material away from the house, keep them off the ground as much as possible.
- Defence against ants requires sealing cracks and crevices to avoid all possible entry points.
- They look for water source, ensure to fix leaking pipes on the roof as well.
- Cut back tree branches as they grow to touch the premises, it could serve as an entry way.
- Do-it-yourself essential oils such as lemongrass, peppermint, lemon juice and tea tree can deter ants.
Solution :
To rid of the carpenter ants, you need to inspection and identify the nest locations and foraging trails. The next step is to determine which control measure to use. Carpenter ants can be control through the application of ant repellent and insecticides. Mix equal parts of peppermint, tea tree or lemon essential oils with water in a spray bottle.
When applied to ant trails or nests, this solution can help rid of ants. Advisable to call Innovative pest control services to inspection and identify the type of ants infestation. Our pest control professionals will discuss a suitable plan to effectively eliminate ant problems permanently.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ant swarms can turn into rolling clusters of many males trying to mate with one female
Weaver Ants (Oecophylla)
Weaver ants, commonly mistook for pharaoh ants are famous for the way they construct their satellite nest. Nest are bind with silky glue-like, from leaves folded or fastened together to form a tent. The leaves are hold together by a silk spun by the larvae which the major workers weaves. Nests and colonies have half a million over workers that spread over several trees.
These slender yellow to orange insects have exquisitely adapted to life in the leafy canopies of tropical forests. Their social unit is the colony, that consists of approximately 500,000 female workers, and a single enormous queen. The caste of each colony consists of 3 forms of adult female. The heavy-bodied queen, a massive population of major workers and a smaller group of minor workers.
Size :
- 1/8 to 3/8"
- Shape : Eyes bigger, head, thorax, body with long legs
- Colour : Brown, red, to yellow
- Legs : 6
- Wings : Male no, female loses it after mating
- Antenna : Yes, 10 segment antennae
Diet :
The feeding preferences varies of food from sugar, sugar-free, honey, dried fish, chicken intestine and biscuits.
Habitat :
Like the red ant species, weaver ants lives in several nests spread out through a number of trees and shrubs. Colony can sometimes get extremely large, one tree is just not enough. Resorting to building multiple colonies across several trees.
Impact :
Weaver ants painful bite can be unbearable, especially if you walk into the nest and get hundreds of them on you. Most people can become hysterical trying to swat them off, in fear of their bites.
Prevention :
- Seal window, doors, cracks and crevices to avoid all possible entry points.
- Caulk around the cracks within wall voids, doors and windows is one of the proven method to defend against ants.
- Seal utility openings such as wire casings and pipes.
- Be sure to clean thoroughly spills after meals to avoid attracting them.
- Coffee grounds or boric acid can help fend them away.
Solution :
Our pest management method includes chemical spray can help to remove and kill ant larvae nests. Various ways to rectify an infestation without recurring events. Our experts will plan a suitable program to solve the problems permanently.
DID YOU KNOW?
A few Malaysian carpenter ant species makes ultimate sacrifice to defend against their attackers
Black House Ant (Ochetellus)
This species of ant will usually be nest in the roof or walls around house. They can easily access to both inside and out to forage for food and water source. Once inside they will normally contaminate sugary foods and find their way through formic acid trail into jugs and sinks. The "frass" or dropping they eject from their colony is usually a worrying factor for property owners.
Size :
- 1/2 to 5/8"
- Shape : Oval thorax, two-segmented pedicel
- Colour : Glossy black
- Legs : 6
- Wings : Yes
- Antenna : Yes, 12 segment antennae
Diet :
These ants are attract to feeds on alive or dead insects and worms, as they are omnivores. As well as vegetation such as small seeds. They prefer sweet foods such as aphids and bugs on flowering pot plants.
Habitat :
They always built nests underground, under rocks, in cracks and holes of foundation, or even in rotten dead wood. Like the toggle, the table of contents, they expand life beyond dirt underground, creating a vast path structure. A colony that will expands without any visible evidence to show the severity of the infestation.
Impact :
The black house ant queen lives for about 15 years, on an average. There have been records that shows that they made it till the age 30. This means the infestation is here to stay if no precautionary measure is in place.
Prevention :
- Make it a habit to regularly check under the dish washing sinks and avoid leaks in the pipes.
- Caulk around the cracks within wall voids, doors and windows cracks and crevices to avoid all possible entry points.
- Part of the defence against ants techniques, regularly turn over rocks, bricks or debris on the ground, in the outdoor area.
- To pay attention to the area around walls and walking paths by pulling back the grass outdoors.
Solution :
These insect are harder to eliminate and as dangerous as the damage caused by termites. If you are not sure what to do, facing too many ants in your home, you can always choose for ants control specialist. For effective methods to defend against ants, book an inspection to prevent and control the problems permanently.
DID YOU KNOW?
You can find them on every continent except Antarctica
