Oh the Ant: Everything You Didn’t Want to Know

ants need pest control las vegasAnts are frustratingly annoying little pests. There is no doubt about that. Even so, the more you know about this tiny bug, the better you can protect your home and your family with the help of the exterminator Las Vegas trusts.

Random Facts

  1. Ants can flatten their tiny ant bodies to be able to squeeze through the smallest of cracks. They come into your home looking for anything they can carry to feed their colonies. Their favorites are sweet or greasy food particles.
  2. Ants follow a trail of pheromones to find their way to and fro. Once they find food in your kitchen, the only way to keep them from finding their way back is to block the pheromone trail.
  3. Depending on the species, ants can build their nests in trees, lawns, stumps and even in your walls or foundation. If you think you have an internal infestation, call for the pest control Las Vegas relies on right away.
  4. An ant colony can have as many as half a million ants. Even with these massive numbers, these little guys can easily pick up shop and relocate if they feel threatened.
  5. One colony can live as long as 15 years, which is how long the queen usually lives. Once she is gone, the colony dissipates.

The Life Of An Ant

The life cycle of an ant comes in four stages. Depending on the species, a full life cycle can last only a few weeks to as long as several months.

Baby Ants

Tiny ant eggs are laid by a fertile queen ant in hiding. The eggs are oval shaped, white and transparent, and about half a millimeter big. Ants stay in this stage for about two weeks.

Child Ants

Once an egg hatches, it becomes larvae. Larvae look like tiny grub with no legs. A large part of the adult ant’s life is spent feeding larvae with food that is eaten and regurgitated.

Adolescent Ants

After a time, larvae molt and become pupae. There are two ways to tell pupae from adult ants: they are a lighter color and their legs and antennae are folded against their bodies.

Grown Up Ants

It is not until an ant is fully grown that it leaves the colony to terrorize your home. However, the only ants that forage for food are worker ants. Worker ants are wingless female ants that do not reproduce. They find food, feed the larvae and protect the colony. The fertile females become queens and never leave the nest. Male ants have wings and do not work. Their only purpose in life is to mate with the queen.

Contact the experts at R and C Pest Control to take care of any kind of ant problem. For more information about a great pest control Las Vegas company, contact 702.257.2847.