How to Get Rid of the Ants of South Africa
Worried about an ant invasion on your property or in your home? Learn about the ants of South Africa and how to stop them effectively in our guide.
What Are the Most Common Ants of South Africa?
Common species of ants in South Africa include the coastal brown ant and black house ant. We are all familiar with the black house ant. Anything sweet attracts these pests as they scavenge for food.
Coastal brown ants prefer meat products and grease as their major food source. Along with these common South African ants, invading species that are not indigenous to our country have also become a problem in many areas.
How Many Species of Ants Are There in South Africa?
Southern Africa hosts an abundance of ant species. There are 550 species of ants that we are familiar with in South Africa. But we only view a few of these species as pests.
Pesky ants have a tendency to take over an entire property. It’s important to identify the type of ants troubling you to figure out how to deal with them effectively, since not all South African ants are pests.
The conservation of biodiversity in the Western Cape and around South Africa is important for a sustainable future. That’s why we encourage everyone to learn how to identify characteristic species that could become a problem and should be exterminated.
Why is it Important to Know About Ants?
Ants have the tendency to dominate ecosystems. They are adaptable and live in a wide range of environments. Did you know ants form between 15- and 20% of the biomass of land animals?
Ants play an integral part in the ecosystem because of their interaction with other organisms. Their interaction with insects and spiders is especially important. They also interact with plants and fungi.
Ants play an important role in the dispersing of seeds. They also perform other important services within the ecosystem.
Why Are Ants Considered Social Creatures?
Ants are considered social creatures because they create colonies with a single queen per nest. Some have more than one queen. The queen or queens are reproductive insects.
Queens produce drones every season. They also produce some female workers. In certain ant species, there are specific worker ants.
They allocate these ants certain tasks, and the ants are adapted to play certain roles. These roles include defence and soldier roles. Some species of ants can disperse over vast areas. A single fertilised female can begin a very large colony over a couple of years.
What Are the Benefits of Ants in the Ecosystem?
Ants, bees, and wasps are important in their distribution and ecological roles. Most ants are beneficial to their environment, but a few invasive species can be very damaging. With a wide variety of South African ants in existence, it is important to identify the harmful specie types and address the issue before it gets out of hand.
What Are Tramp Ants, and How Can I Identify Them?
Not every type of ant species spreads with success. Certain species move around more than others. We refer to ants associated with a human presence as “tramp” ants.
- Most tramp ants have more than one breeding queen (polygyny).
- Many tramp ant species are aggressive (unicolonial).
- They reproduce through budding.
- Tramp ants do not have permanent homes. We call this polydomous.
Why Are Invasive Ants So Successful?
Ants live in large colonies. Plus, they are extremely adaptable. The queen can create her own colony. The queen can fly, which could cause her to establish colonies far and wide.
Ants are brilliant at finding and collecting food. They work in teams and rely on their large numbers to compete with any native species. Ants eat an enormous amount of food.
Ants are competent at overwintering in our homes. The reasons are homes are both warm and an easy source of food. This enables them to source their food easily, while staying warm and safe.
What is an Ant Unicolony and Why Does it Matter?
A unicolony is the common structure of invasive black sugar ants and other ant species. This common structure has the absence of aggressive and territorial boundaries amongst colonies.
Of special interest is that ants from different ants’ nests mix in a unicolony. The Argentine ant has the largest super-colony, stretching across four continents. These include North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia.
6 Fantastic Facts About Argentine Ants in South Africa
- Argentine ants are aggressive and large in number. They can reduce other non-ant invertebrates, small mammals, birds, and reptiles in areas where they are found.
- Argentine ants are economic pests in agricultural systems. They encourage aphids and scale insects to thrive. This leads to outbreaks of pest species on crops. This is especially problematic for fruit trees.
- The most common and prolific ant in South Africa is the Argentine Ant. This tenacious ant species lives in 9 of SA’s provinces.
- We believe soldiers planted Argentine ants in South Africa during the Anglo-Boer Was. They transported ants via horse fodder from Argentina.
- Argentine ants have known to disrupt the important roles of other ant species that play an important role in the Cape Floral regions.
- Argentine ants are notorious for invading agricultural land and urban spaces. These ants can also spread into other natural environments.
How to Get Rid of Ants in South Africa Effectively
We won’t waste your time with DIY solutions and home remedies for getting rid of characteristic species that cause problems in South Africa. The best way to get rid of these pests is to call in a professional team of expert pest controllers. You can get a free quote from one of our expert teams today.
Let us identify all the species of ants on your property and help you get rid of any damaging colonies. We have footprints throughout South Africa.
