Almost every day we come across ants in our house and they are a common sight in the kitchen.Nearly every one of us shares our home with hundreds of ants. Do you ever think about where they sleep, where they eat, how they breathe, and what goes on in the tiny hole they have dug in your wall?Ants eat almost anything and every they can. Their diet is not limited to only sweet food but savoury too. Ever wondered how tiny ants and find their way back to their home? Ants are quite smart as they leave natural GPS trails! Ants also grow their food. They are way more independent than human beings. Some species of ants harvest their own food. Ants are quite diverse and there are nearly 10,000 different species all around the world. Most species are classified based on their dietary habits. Ants are one of the strongest insects. They can lift objects nearly 10-15 times their body weight and social colonies of ants are very organized.They work on shifts and work is distributed precisely. Some ants go to gather food, while others dig tunnels and even look after a queen ant’s offspring. They are hardworking and consistent because they are ruled by a queen.If you enjoyed this article on what do ants eat, you might also like finding out what cockroaches eat and what insects eat here on Kidadl?Do carpenter ants eat wood?Carpenter ants are well known for their ability to destroy wood. They can be a nuisance and a huge reason for structural problems at home. They cannot eat wood, but they chew at it to make a burrow to make a comfortable nest.These opportunistic ants could be problematic if you do not detect them at home because all of your furniture could be under attack. They also cause cracks in walls. You can easily identify a carpenter ant by its curved thorax and black color. This ant is highly active at night. Carpenter ants can survive in a natural environment, eating insects and honeydew also. It is very common for ants to enter your house. Sugar attracts ants, so it very very likely when you spill sugary drinks or there are crumbs on the floor, ants will appear out of nowhere feeding. You will find ants in your cookie jar, window sill, and cracks in the wall. Regardless of their tiny size, they invade your house in huge numbers. An ant infestation could be horrendous. Ants usually come into your house in search of food or to build a home. Your home could be a source of food and also provide shelter to them. They could come into your house because of storms or rain.You do not need to keep the door ajar to welcome ants because they can invade your house through holes, cracks, or gaps in the house. Sometimes they simply come in from the tiniest gap beneath the door or windows. Make sure that there are no cracks large enough for ants to crawl in especially near the door frame and window. The carpet must be clean and all food jars tightly closed so they do not come into the home for food. They can also enter through flooring so check carpets regularly.What type of food are ants most attracted to?Ants are omnivores so they not only prey on sugary sweets but also meat.Meat consumed by ants is from dead animals, but they also eat lots of different species of plants. Army ants hunt insects, worms, or even small animals for food. This is why insects never underestimate ants. Not all ants hunt because some ants are able to to grow their own vegetables. For instance, fungus-growing ants collect grass and leaves to grow mushrooms for their colony. Since there are thousands of ant species, their food habits are quite diverse.Do ants eat termites?A number of different types of insect species, including ants and termites, inhabit similar places and carry out their life processes under similar conditions. Ants and termites show a mutual relationship which is called a natural competition.They are predators of each other. Many varieties of both these types of pests create nests underground. Like termites, ants also feed on crumbs, fruits, and plant remains. When termites eat ants, they have an advantage as their rivals are being removed. Sugar ants also eat termites, besides sweet foods.Worker ants raid termite colonies for sugary foods and return home with dead insects. By observing the feeding habits of different ants, ants cannot digest termites by themselves. Ants mostly have a plant-based diet, so they feed on their larvae first. Once ant larvae break down a termite’s carcass, workers and queens are able to consume the carcass.Do ants eat their dead?Ants might eat the dead bodies of their own species. This process is known as necrophoresis and it is observed in ants, bees, and wasps. They also kill other pests like cockroaches, flies, and fleas that are present at home. Ants play an important role in waste removal from the environment and they also spread seeds of native plants. Ants are a vital part of the ecosystem. We need them for stable biodiversity.Ants are hardworking, social, and creative creatures but having them at home could be problematic. By distinguishing which type of ants you have at your home, you can determine if there is a threat or not. Some ant species can harm furniture or even give you a painful sting. You can also hire professionals to get rid of ants. Ants present in the garden may not harm you but the ones that come into the house through tiny gaps may be covered with dust. Having small ants in your house could be a problem because some species eat wood, furniture, and create holes in the wall.What do ants eat outside?The ant family is vast and diverse. Some ants destroy wood because they depend on it for a nest and others may just covet your kitchen. There are many ant species and the 10 most commonly found types of ants have unique traits to recognize them.Red imported fire ant, carpenter ants, crazy ants, acrobat ants, pharaoh ants, odorous house ants, rover ants, and pavement ants are the ones to worry about as they infest your homes.Red imported fire ants do not produce fire if they sting you. However, they are well-known for their awful bites. They inject venom into their prey by gripping them strongly. They feed on worms, ticks, spiders, seeds, and honeydew. The red-brown color of fire ants makes them easy to recognize. They create nests in the form of molds with no entrance visible. Usually, you will find their nests outdoors but during the summer season, they may enter a house in search of water. Some humans will react to their stings and may need medical attention. Flying ants are just normal ants with wings. They are a species of ants that can fly as their name suggests. Their dietary habits are similar to other ants that cannot fly. They are omnivores. Liquid nectar, seeds, other insects are common things they feed on. They have an added advantage over other ants as they can fly and hunt for prey. They create nests usually in damp areas. Flying ants are similar to termites. Be cautious when you spot a flying insect at home because it could be a termite. Termites have straight bodies and straight antennas.Leafcutter ants are skilled agriculturists and grow mushrooms. They have unique mandibles from other ant species. They feed on fungus that they grow. They use a leaf as fertilizer and also protect leaves from pests and molds in groups. Though mushrooms make up the main food source in their diet, they are omnivores. They cut various varieties of plants and gather them in their nests and later mix them with ant fecal matter and fungal spores. Mushrooms grow as a source of food for leaf cutter ants. These are quite hard-working ants that grow their food.Harvester ants are omnivores. Their diet primarily includes seeds but they also feed on insects and arthropods. Harvester ants are avid travelers. They go in search of their meals for up to 30 mi (48 km) Their nests are found in soil. They do not prefer to stay in human homes and prefer gardens. Since they feed on seeds and this could damage crops and be harmful to vegetation. They pose a serious threat to agriculture-related activities as they can destroy crops. Harvester ants may not trouble you at home but if you considering farming then beware of them.Green ants are mainly found in the northern regions of Australia. They build a nest in the trees out of living leaves. They mainly feed on insect and honeydew secretion. Green tree ants nurse blue butterfly larvae. Blue butterflies and green tree ants have an amazing bond. A blue butterfly lays eggs near a green tree ant nest. When the eggs hatch, these ants carry a number of larvae into their nest and care for them. Green tree ants help larvae find food including fruits, grains, crumbs, and nectar and also protect them. These larvae secrete honeydew for ants to eat. Once the larvae have developed, ants let them go.A queen ant is served food by workers ants. She lays her eggs in the nest because she rarely leaves the nest. A queen ant’s diet consists of foods that other ants in the colony eat. Some species of ants have workers who just provide sweet food for the queen ant. A queen ant can lay up to millions of eggs. Foods fed to queen ants include proteins, fat, honey, and honeydew. Queen ants must be fed well. These ants are the largest ants out of the different types of members in the colony. Queen ants have thicker bodies and larger abdomens. Queen ants have a longer lifespan because worker ants look after them.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what do ants eat then why not take a look at what do June bugs eat, or ant facts.
Almost every day we come across ants in our house and they are a common sight in the kitchen.
