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An ant can lift 20 times its own body weight. |
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There are more than 12,000 species of ants all over the world. Ants range in color from red to black, and they can range in size from one-quarter inch for a worker
carpenter ant to three-quarters of an inch for a queen carpenter ant. Although ants are frustrating when they get in homes, ants do help the environment. They help
control the population of damaging pests such as termites. Types of ants include fire ants, which cause a painful sting, and carpenter ants, which damage wood
structures while nest building. Other types of ants include honey, pharoah, house, Argentine, and the thief ant.
This species of ant is native to Argentina and Brazil and was probably introduced to the United States in freight ships before 1891. These ants can be found in southern states and in
California, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, Oregon and Washington. Argentine ant colonies are located in wet environments near a food source. They prefer to eat sweets but they will eat
almost anything including meats, eggs, oils and fats. Worker argentine ants are about one sixteenth of an inch long. Queen argentine ants are one eighth of an inch to one quarter of an
inch long.
This ant gets its name from the strong, rotten coconut-like smells it gives off when crushed. These tiny insects range in size from one-sixteenth of an inch to one-eighth of an inch long.
Native to the United States, these ants are very social - living in colonies of up to 100,000 members. Typically living for several years, these ants make their homes in exposed soil and
wall cracks. They like to eat sweets, especially melon.
Although these ants can live inside, they get their name because they make their nests in or under cracks in pavement. They are typically found in the eastern half of the United States,
California and Washington. Pavement ant colonies average 3,000 to 4,000 members and have several queens. These ants will eat almost anything, including insects, seeds, honeydew, honey,
bread, meats, nuts and cheese.