Information on Common Australian Ant Pest Species
Ants are the most common of all the urban pest groups. They are found in many different locations throughout houses, gardens, commercial buildings, restaurants and even hospitals.
Ants play an important role in many eco-systems and are only classified as a pest when their habitats interfere with human activity. There are approximately 3000 ants species in Australia. Only a snall number of these species are classified as common pests.
They are classified as a pest when they bite or sting, eat or spoil food and pose a sanitary risk, especially in hospitals and restaurants. Ants are drawn inside usually in search of food, water, shelter and warmth.
Ants typically feed on sugars, fats, proteins and vegetative matter or a combination of these. Baiting ants is usually more successful if the preferred food source for a particular ant is used as an attractant for the consumption of the bait toxicant.
Their nests can come be built in many different forms. Some build nests under the soil, while other species will build nests in trees using the leaves as their main construction material. Pest ant species build nests that become unsightly in the garden usually with the appearance of small mounds of soil and gravel. Indoors, ants are capable of constructing their nests almost anywhere and often become a hazard when they build nests in electrical connections.
They are social insects, living in colonies that may number in the thousands. Ant colonies of some species may have many queens. Worker ants forage for food for the colony, care for the queen and young and defend the colony. Workers can be one size (Monomorphic) or two or more sizes (polymorohic). Colonies may reproduce by swarming or budding. Ants go through four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
The body of an ant consists of three main parts; the head, the thorax (middle section), and the rear or metasoma. They all have six legs which are attached to the thorax. Apart from the mouth, the eyes and the antennae are also located on the head. Ants eyes have many lenses which enable them excellent vision. The antennae provide smell, touch, taste, and hearing. The metasoma contains the stomach and rectum. Many species of ants have poison sacks and/or stingers in the end of the metasoma for defense against their many predators.