Ants Colony Structure and Behavior

Colony Structure and Behavior

Part of an IPM program is understanding the biology and lifestyle of "pest" you want to control.
Ants are among the most social creatures on Earth. Individuals within a colony are divided into groups with specific duties that benefit the colony as a whole.

Ant colony populations can range into the millions for some species. Their nests can be located almost anywhere – in hidden and protected areas indoors, in soil near foundations, under concrete slabs, in crawl spaces, in structural wood, in the yard or garden, in trees, or in almost any protected location on a property.

Three types of individuals, or castes, live within the colony:

Queens typically are the largest ants in the colony. After selecting a nest site, a queen will begin laying eggs and caring for her brood. The first workers that develop assume brood care, leaving the queen to simply lay eggs. Ant colonies can have single or multiple queens. The number of queens in multiple queen colonies varies by species, ranging from a few queens to nearly half the population in a colony. Depending on the species, queens may live from months to years.

Males serve one purpose: to mate with the queen. Males typically die soon after mating, and are normally alive solely during the colony's reproductive stage.



Workers are sterile, wingless females that form the backbone of the colony. They perform the tasks necessary for the survival and growth of the colony, such as foraging for food, caring for brood, excavating or enlarging the nest.

Depending on the species, workers in a colony can be of all the same size (monomorphic), two sizes (dimorphic) or more than two sizes (polymorphic). Workers divide labor, so some leave the nest to forage while most remain in the nest to tend to other tasks. Homeowners usually see the foraging workers.

Monomorphic ant workers

Dimorphic ant workers

Polymorphic ant workers

How Can I prevent Infestation?????

Homeowners can prevent an ant infestation by taking some simple steps:

• Clean up spilled food and beverages.
• Diligently take out the trash.
• Rinse out jars and containers before placing them in trash cans and recycling bins.
• Seal doors and windows.
• Keep rain gutters clean to prevent moisture leaks inside walls.
• Trim trees and shrubs next to your house to prevent ants from using them as “highways” into your home.

  www.northwesttermite.com.