Woodcutter ants

Ant-woodworm (Camponotus) - the largest species of ant family, numbering about 1000 species of representatives. Distributed around the world, prefer forest zones, taiga, there are representatives in the deserts. Most species build nests in wood, often in search of a better life, they approach human housing. The scientific name of the ant is Camponotus gerculeanus.

Insect dwelling

Tree ants build nests in dry trees, old stumps. If you look closely, small holes are visible on the tree - inputs and outputs, near a sawdust anthill. By their type and quantity, it is possible to determine the age of the structure and the number of inhabitants. The location of the anthill can serve as a guide for a lost traveler.

Work is always in full swing. Around the dwelling crawlers ants creepers of different sizes. Soldiers with a large head, body up to 3 mm are slow, prudent. They monitor what is happening, evaluate the security situation. The smallest representatives are the working clan. Workers are working on building a house, daily increasing the number of underground tunnels, passages, and chambers.

Interesting!

At night ants are sleepingexcept for guard soldiers. In inclement weather during the wintering period movement in the anthill occurs in underground passages.

Breeding

Most of the ant family consists of females incapable of fertilization. They are divided into several clans, perform construction work, obtain food, ensure the safety of the anthill, take care of uterusfeed the larvae.

A small proportion are young males, females. Once a year in the warm season they begin to mate. Woodworms grow wings flying ants rise in the air, there mate. After a successful process, the males die, the females are looking for a place for a new anthilllays eggs there.

The uterus is engaged in the cultivation, feeding, education of the first cubs. Forms from them the working ants of woodworkers - builders. Insects begin to build a nest, the female lays the next batch of eggs.

Breeding process endless, the colony of woodworm ants replenished with new members of society every week. Gradually, the duties of caring for larvae, feeding, and servicing the uterus are shifted to working ants - midwives, nannies, carers. The queen is only laying eggs.

Interesting!

Fertilization alone for the very first time is enough for a female to reproduce offspring all her life. The uterus is able to live up to 28 years. Worker woodcutter ants, performing duties inside the anthill live 5 years, builders, hunters, food procurers - no more than 3 years.

Black woodworkers

The black ant woodworm is a large representative of the genus, found throughout the world in a coniferous, mixed forest. The body is shiny black. The length of the soldiers and females is about 15 mm. Anthills build in old wood, stumps. Representatives of the genus are listed in the Red Book, protected by law. Insects benefitBeing forest cleaners, soil disintegrants.

Odorous woodworms

The odorous woodbird ant is small in size, and has a large number of colonies. The body is black shiny color. Workers reach a length of 5 cm. Females are larger than males in half, their body length is 8 mm. The head is heart-shaped with a hollow in the occipital part. Widespread this kind of ants in Europe, Siberia.

Nests are built in old trees, stumps. Use building, chewing wood. When mixed with saliva, the substance becomes sticky.

The anthill contains several prolific females. A young uterus starts a family through social parasitism. It gets into the anthill of similar types of insects, destroys the uterus, takes its place. A working clan of other species provides her with care, feeds the larvae. Gradually, the family is inhabited by odorous woodcutters, enslaved individuals are dying.

Interesting!

Woodworms are called odorous because of special glands that secrete a specific aroma. By the smell, insects communicate. They transmit danger signals, a click about help, a notification about finding food, and so on.

Red-breasted representative of the genus

Red-chested ant wood-wearer is a common large forest ant. The sternum is red, the head is black. Females and males are completely black. The length of the females reaches 2 cm. Red-breasted ant is an inhabitant of the wild. The dreamer practically does not approach human housing.

Builds nests of huge sizes in depth and height. Cases of social parasitism are known. If there are small ones nearby black antsRed-breasted will destroy their family in a matter of days. Or a young female will take the place of their queen.

Danger

For nature, an ant woodworm is of great benefit, cleansing forests from small parasites, fungi, loosening the soil, but it becomes a real disaster for a person to settle in his wooden house. And although it does not cause such damage as fiery red ants, but still the damage from the carpenter is significant.

Insects constantly eat wood. Numerous small holes appear in the logs, the tree gradually decays, the strength of the building is lost.

Ant family in a wooden house settles thoroughly. Insects themselves will not disappear. By arranging the nest, they will constantly work on increasing the area, providing easy safe transitions to the food source. You should seriously think about the question of how to get rid of unwanted "tenants".

Methods of struggle

Woodworm ants get rid folk remedies, professional drugs.

• You can thoroughly destroy insects with a concentrated emulsion. The drug is diluted in water, spraying the walls, furniture, floor. A wide spectrum insecticide causes paralysis, death. Mass death occurs after 2 weeks.
• Poisonous bait save from disaster if they could not find the nests, or it is difficult to get to the uterus. The composition contains an insecticide, flavorings, food additives. Insects eat the poison themselves, drag it into the nest. The rest of the relatives, larvae, and uterus are fed. Death occurs a few days after the poison enters the stomach. The woodworker ants, unsuspecting, continue to drag the poison into the nest.
• You can poison a woodworm ant boric acid, combining it with food - sugar, honey, cookies with milk, jam, boiled yolk. Lay out the bait in the places of movement of insects.
• You can expel from the premises, prevent re-infection with garlic, tansy, mint, wormwood, as well as ammonia, vinegar, birch tar.

The woodworm ant is under protection; killing insects outside the house is illegal.