Ants are among the most amazing and intriguing insects in the world, including the toughest of all pest to control.  There are about 20,000 different species of ant in the world and they live in a wide variety of environments.  Approximately 570 species occur in the United States and of these; fewer than 30 species may visit the inside of homes. In Tennessee, ants have been deemed by pest control companies as the number one structural pest. 

Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. They live in colonies which may host thousands or even millions of individuals.  The colony supports three types of adults: females ("workers/soldiers"), fertile males ("drones"), and fertile females ("queens"). The workers primary role is to forage for food, leaving a chemical trail behind alerting other ants to the source.

Dangers/Threats
Ants can be harmful to human health.  For example, the Pharaoh Ant carries more than a dozen dangerous bacteria, including staphylococcus and salmonella.  The Fire Ant found in Tennessee, have attacked humans and reported to have killed livestock.  Some species of the big-head ant are intermediate hosts of various poultry tapeworms.

Lifecycle
Ants grow up in just a few days. Each ant goes through four distinctive growing stages: egg, larva, pupa, and the adult. Ants live a very busy, but short life compared to humans. The average life expectancy of an ant is 45-60 days. However, they reproduce so quickly that the overall colony just gets larger with time.

Ant Facts

• With their combined weight greater than the combined weight of all humans, ants are the most numerous type of animal -  15 to 25% of the total terrestrial animal biomass.
• Many ants produce a toxin “formic acid “ which is secreted by glands in the head which is deposited in the bite.
• Strong in relation to their size, ants can carry 10 to 20 times their body weight.
• The queen ant lays all the eggs in the anthill.
• The queen ant lives up to ten or twenty years.
• Ants have two stomachs one for them and one to feed others.
• Some ants sleep seven hours a day.
• The queen licks the eggs to make them hatch.
• The queen feeds her eggs her own saliva.
• Some ants can have up to three queens.