The Ants Come Marching in by Angela Rieck

I am feeling a general malaise from this hot, humid drought. To add insult to injury, for the past month I have been on the losing end of a relentless ant campaign.

In the past, ants were invasive when the water table was high, but this drought defies that explanation. It is almost as if they can’t stand the weather either and are looking for air conditioning and other creature comforts that my house offers.

So, I proceeded to learn more about why these critters are so invasive this year. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a lot of specific information, but I did gain an appreciation for these little creatures. 

According to experts, the possible explanations for ant invasions this year are:

• Extended periods of dry weather are affecting the ants’ food supply causing them to go beyond their natural food source into new areas (such as my home). These ants leave a chemical trail so that they can find their way back and other ants can follow them into my home. 
• Ant colonies are usually in and around homes so that they can have better access to our food and water.
• Our climate-controlled homes offer ideal environments for ants to flourish. There is plenty of condensation and crumbs. Tiny crevices throughout our homes make it easy for them to enter.
• Ants reproduce at such a high rate that there are both sufficient worker ants to venture out and more of them to feed.

And there are a lot of ants. It is estimated that there are 2.5 million ants for every human on the planet, and the numbers keep increasing. So, it is no wonder that they are invading our homes.

While the ants in my house are pavement ants and could conceivably spread germs (from their little feet); they are more of a nuisance than a pest. 

The secret behind the ants’ success is that they live and work together in highly organized colonies. In fact, most ant colonies are so united toward the common purposes of survival, growth, and reproduction that they behave like a single organism. 

Everyone in the colony has a role. A single queen lays the eggs, and the male fertilizes them. All other ants are female worker ants.  

An ant colony is like a factory. Nestmates work together to build their colonies. The worker ants perform all duties. Younger ants work inside the nest, taking care of the queen. They also work in the “nursery” tending to the eggs and feeding the larvae. Older workers are the ones that we see, they venture outside to gather food. The older workers are also responsible for defending the nest against enemies (more about that later). The queen doesn’t boss the workers around. It is an egalitarian society rather than an autocratic one. The workers decide amongst themselves which tasks to perform based on age, personal preferences, interactions with nestmates, and cues from the environment.

Members of an ant colony communicate with each other using chemicals, called pheromones, which they sniff with their antennae. In addition, ants can use touch and vibration to communicate. Worker ants release pheromones with specific messages, such as “Follow me to Angela’s house!” or “Attack the intruder!”. Nestmates also use pheromones to recognize each other. 

Each individual ant has a tiny brain. But all the ants of a colony combined are pretty smart. Ant superorganisms can solve difficult problems by processing information as a group. For example, a colony will compare potential nest sites before collectively choosing the best one.

Ants are both hunter/gatherers and farmers. Besides gathering the crumbs from our tables, they also hunt insects, eggs, and even larger vertebrates for food. They attack in large numbers. Leaf cutters are farmers that bring leaves back to the colony, where they use them to grow a fungus for their food. Some ants “farm” aphids, protecting aphids, keeping them contained and eating their excrement (which is a sweet nectar).

Ants serve as medics as well, tending to the sick, but once an ant has been contaminated, it will be removed from the colony and killed. Any defective eggs or larvae will also be killed. The colony is more important than the individual.

Ants are very loyal to their colony, but not to outsiders. Competition among colonies for food and other resources can lead to war. Workers sometimes sting, spray, and bite to death during these battles. 

But there is not enough ant war to prevent infestations in my house, at least. So to avoid ants, experts recommend that we regularly clean up kitchen spills, store food in airtight containers, and keep fruits in the fridge.

If it gets too bad, it is recommended that you use a professional.

But, if you want to try getting rid of ants on your own, use ant bait traps where they are entering your home. But there are drawbacks. First, bait traps produce a scent that attracts ants. Second, dying ants release pheromones that alert nearby ants to come to their aid. 

As I am writing this, a fly has been buzzing me for the past hour, be assured that I am NOT going to be writing about how cool flies are in my next column.

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Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.