Interesting Facts About Ants

Interesting Facts About Ants

Ants have fascinated humans for hundreds of years. Their sense of community and their incredibly organized way of living is incredible to observe. Ant farms were invented in 1956 by entrepreneur Milton Levine so children and adults alike could see first hand how ants lived. Selling over 20 million ant farms worldwide, millions of children and adults have had a front row seat to the fascinating life of the ant. Selling for only $1.98 in the early days, these ant farms gave us a chance to appreciate these pests in a new light. The ant farm was a smashing success for Milton Levine and the reason for that is because ants really ARE entertaining creatures. Here are a few cool facts about ants:

• Scientists estimate that over 22,000 species of ants exist, yet we have only discovered 12, 500 of them.
• Antarctica is one place on the earth where ants do not reside. Though one might beg to differ seeing as the name suggests otherwise. It’s simply too cold for ants.
• It is estimated that at any given time, there are upwards of 10 quadrillion ants alive on this earth.
• Ants can carry 100 times their own weight.
• Queen ants can live up to 30 years, the longest of any other insect. So if you’re waiting for an ant infestation to die out, you’ll be waiting for a very long time.
• Ants have no lungs. They breathe through spiracles which are a series of holes located on the sides of their body.
• Ants don’t have ears but they still have ways of “hearing” using vibrations.
• Ants are farmers. They are the only insects that farm other insects for their purposes. Ants will keep and protect aphids so they have a constant supply of honeydew, which aphids produce.
• Ants can swim. They don’t swim like humans but they are quite skilled at floating for long periods of time. Ants also swim with their own version of the doggy paddle, keeping them alive in water if they have to.
• Ants have two stomachs. One stomach is for their own digestion and consumption while the other stomach is used to hold food to share with the rest of the community.

Ants amaze us, but let’s not get carried away

While we love ants and are intrigued endlessly by their remarkable ways and community efforts, it doesn’t mean we should let an infestation grow in our home just so we can observe them up close. Ants get into your food and are quite a nuisance when allowed to reproduce uninhibited. For ant control in Naperville, you need thorough treatments. Trying to combat this problem yourself can in fact, exacerbate the problem by scattering the community, causing them to grow multiple ant colonies in other places of your home. This situation needs to be handled carefully and Pointe Pest Control knows how to do this professionally and completely. Call us today for expert Naperville ant control so you can keep ants outside where they belong.