Garden black ants

Black ant is the most common form of our area. Other names are black lasia, lazius niger, lasius niger. Distributed around the world, are garden pests.

Appearance

If a person is asked to describe ant, it immediately gives a characteristic of this type:

• The body, divided into 3 segments, the head and abdomen stand out well.
• There are long antennae on the head, the whole body is covered with villi.
• Three pairs of legs that allow the insect to move quickly, crawl to the highest heights.
• Color - dark brown, black.

In the anthill are insects with different body lengths. The biggest - uterus. The prolific female reaches a size of 13 mm. The smallest working individuals are females incapable of fertilization. They grow to 4 mm. 1 mm more males, young females - 7 mm. A photo of black ants is presented below.

Interesting!

During the mating season, males and females grow wings. This is not a separate view. flying ants, but just a temporary transformation. Males soon die, the uterus looks for a convenient place, burrow into the ground, lay eggs. Working individuals grow out of them within a month, which begin to build, equip an anthill.

Home

Black ants build several types of nests. In most cases - a conical shape, formed from a mound of earth, covered with twigs, needles, leaflets. Anthill It has many moves, cameras, warehouses, is divided into 2 parts. In the upper floors, large black ants spend most of their time. They live before the onset of cold weather. In the bottom, deep underground, overwinter.

The second housing option is old wood, stumps. Lazius niger ants gnaw wood, mix it with saliva. Used as a building material. Numerous moves, exits, cameras form a tree. Long underground tunnels, mines depart from them.

You can see the nest right in the soil, with holes, loosened soil without a characteristic embankment. Also ants lasius niger settle under stones, branches. Insects settle in the fields, gardens, but most of all they love orchards. Because of this, they are also called garden black ants.

Breeding

Mass departure from the nest of young female males occurs in June. Fertilization is carried out in the air, lasts about a week. Each female tries to establish her own nest, does not return to her former place of residence. If she fails to do this, she can again go to the former anthill.

The uterus of black ants lives about 28 years. Lays eggs every week. They are taken away by working ants, performing duties within the anthill. Then take care of them yourself. Provide optimal conditions, turn over. Move from camera to camera if necessary.

Interesting!

From eggs after 2 weeks, larvae appear in the form of white worms. They are not able to move, eat on their own, are deprived of vision. Further depends on how adult individuals feed the larvae. the life of ants. Within a month, the larvae pupate, emerge from the cocoon with full-fledged young black ants. Some become builders, others as nannies and midwives, third guards, soldiers, etc. The ant family has more than 15 professions.

Nutrition

Big black ants in the garden find food for themselves, their larvae. Adults feed on plant juices, a sweet secret that secrets aphids. For food ants spread aphids throughout the garden, providing it with the most lush trees in the country. Honey dew is collected behind it.

Interesting!

Black ants keep aphids in their housing in a special chamber. Provide it with good nutrition, tickle the antennae, get a sweet delicacy.

Larvae are more gluttonous. Need protein food. Adults bring them insects, worms, slugs. Such nutritional characteristics make black garden ants useful and harmful. Insects will destroy small pests and spread aphids themselves, causing significant damage to crops.

Behavior

Garden black ant is a non-aggressive creature, but endowed with a sting with poison. They use their weapons during hunting, when attacking enemies, approaching danger. Insects bite quite strongly, leaving an inflamed red mark. For a person prone to allergies ant bite can become serious health problems.

Interesting!

There are always several adults on guard. In case of danger, they signal the rest, massively attacking the enemy. In an instant, a whole colony of insects appears on the foot of a person who has stepped next to an anthill.

It just won’t bite an insect. Will crawl freely on the arm, leg, if he is not in danger. The slightest pressure on the body leads to a protective reaction.

On a note!

In nature, there is a huge amount giant black antsable to bite pets to death, a person cause significant damage to health. This kind of ants lives in tropical countries. When they find insects, residents leave the house, taking with them the entire household.

Methods of struggle

A garden ant is not dangerous until it begins to spread aphids. If there are no aphids on the garden plot, there will not be large anthills on the territory of the summer cottage.

Methods of struggle include the use of folk, professional means. The choice of methods depends on individual preferences, the number of insects on the site, the location of the anthill, the number of individuals.

• From aphids spray trees soda solution. So that soda stays on leaflets longer, soap, linseed oil are added to the water. Spray in the warm season every week.
• An anthill is poured with a bucket of boiled water, a solution boric acid. Practice a method of setting fire if the nest rises above the ground. Doused with flammable liquid, often kerosene, set on fire. It is better to do this in the evening, when all working ants return home.
• You can drive out all the inhabitants from the anthill with the head of a herring, placing it on top of the structure.
• In the garden planted bushes of mint, lemon balm, calendula. The smells of these plants are not tolerated by black garden ants.
• One of the most effective remedies for ants, aphids is garlic. They rubbed tree trunks, tied with garlic arrows.
• Trees protect hunting belts from polyethylene. An adhesive substance - resin, is applied to them, tar, solidol. Or buy a special garden glue from ants.

Gel insects are afraid of drugs. It contains a broad-acting insecticide, flavors, flavorings. Insects eat themselves, drag the poison into the nest, feed the larvae, the uterus. Mass death occurs within 14 days. Most common Great Warrior.