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This is one of the commonest British ants,
found in almost all parts of the country. A hymenopterous
insect, the ant enters properties through cracks in brickwork and around/under
windows and doors in search of a meal. It causes annoyance
when found feeding on our food, often causing people to throwaway products found
to be infested. However, they are not known to carry disease
organisms.
The ubiquitous ants make their nest in the soil, on
grassland including lawns, at the base of walls, under flat
stones and sometimes in hollow trees. Nests are often very numerous near
buildings and occasionally may be situated close to or actually in the foundations.
The foraging workers follow fairly well defined trails to
their feeding grounds which may be many yards from the nest.
They have varied feeding habits. They may enter buildings, often
through very narrow crevices, and if food, especially sweet
food, is found by one ant there will soon be many others to share the feast.
Houses, restaurants and food shops, office buildings and
hospitals etc. may be entered this way and the ants may cause a
considerable nuisance and some damage but their nests are
usually outside the buildings.
Much can be written about their lifecycle, but it is
suggested that the reader takes time to seek out more
information on these insects.
One of the most annoying stages is the mating period itself.
During the summer great numbers of winged females (which are
potential queens) and males are reared in the nest and on one or two
warm summer afternoons between mid-July and mid-September
they swarm out and take to flight often in quite spectacular
numbers. This usually happens simultaneously over a wide
area of country.
Sometimes, if a nest is situated in the foundations, these
winged ants may swarm inside buildings. Sufferers may take
comfort in the knowledge that the trouble will soon cease. During the
flight, the ants mate. Many thousands are eaten by birds and
in about two or three hours it is all over; the survivors return to earth,
the males soon die, the queens shed their wings and make
themselves a cell, generally in the soil where they pass the winter before
attempting to start anew nest the following spring. A few
-but enough - succeed. Some may find shelter in existing nests but these
will generally only tolerate one queen. Under favourable
conditions the queen and therefore her nest, may survive for several years.
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