Red ants: appearance, features and methods of disposal

Red ants got their name for their bright amber body color. In the sun, their abdomen is like a drop of honey dew falling from the sky. You can spend hours admiring these insects in nature, observing their amazing life, however, such a desire completely disappears as soon as they appear in our house.

Having settled in the apartment, they bring a lot of trouble, eating any food that they can reach. Moreover, they spoil clothes and things, gnawing holes in them with their sharp mandibles, stain everything in the house with their secretions, transfer germs on their feet, worm eggs. It is quite difficult to get rid of them on your own, but it is quite possible, subject to certain processing rules and preventive measures.

Body structure and species features

Depending on the habitat, red ants are divided into domestic and forest. Despite the similarity of name and color, these are two completely different species that differ from each other not only in their way of life, but also in appearance.

Forest ants

Forest red ants are large enough insects. The length of their body is 4-9 mm. Coloring can vary from bright red on the lower body to brown and almost black on the abdomen. Forest ants have a segmented body structure, which is divided into the following departments:

• the head
• chest
• abdomen.

The head is relatively large and equipped with powerful mandibles that can easily bite through the skin of an animal, as well as medium-thick fabric. Above them are small flexible antennae, which serve as the organ of touch and smell. Even higher are complex faceted eyes and three simple eyes.

The chest is connected to the head with a flexible jumper - a stalk. On it are three pairs of long, well-developed legs, ending with tenacious claws. The chest is attached to the abdomen with the help of two segments, called petiol.

The abdomen is the most prominent part of the body. As a rule, it has a darker color than the head and chest. The abdomen is divided into several parts by segments, and in working individuals it ends with a sharp sting, into which their underdeveloped ovipositor turns.

Workers of red ants have no wings. Only males and females have them for the duration of the mating season from the nest. Subsequently, females lose their aircraft and differ from working individuals only in body size.

House ants

Red domestic ants are relatively small in size. The adult in length rarely reaches 3 mm. In this they sharply differ from their forest counterparts, which are almost three times larger. They differ in coloring. The Lesoviks are much darker, their abdomen is almost black, while the house red ants are bright amber in color and have two transverse stripes on the back of the body. Otherwise, domestic ants have almost the same body structure as forest ones.

An interesting fact is that, unlike larger forest counterparts, red-headed house ants do not bite. If the former can pinch their pains rather painfully, the latter are not capable of this with all desire.Their size is so small that the jaw does not open wide enough to grab a piece of skin.

If we touch on the history of the appearance of species, it turns out that the little house children were brought to Russia from the warmer southern countries. India is considered their homeland, from where they settled around the world. Forest red ants are the original inhabitants of Russian forests. They perfectly adapted to the peculiarities of the local climate, and tolerate the most severe frosts well. Domestic ants cannot boast of this, and in Russia they can only survive in a warm human home.

Interesting fact! Another name for domestic red ants is pharaonic. They got such a nickname because they were discovered during excavations of the ancient tombs of Egyptian pharaohs.

Ways to get rid

Unlike forest ants, brownies are prominent representatives of insect pests, therefore, at the first signs of infection, the apartment should be treated as quickly as possible. What are red house ants afraid of and how to get rid of them?

Chemicals

Perhaps the most effective remedy for domestic red ants is a chemical product designed specifically against crawling insects. On store shelves you can find a huge amount of insecticides that can quickly get rid of these pests. Basically, they all contain poison of intestinal-contact action and differ from each other by the active substance and form.

Most often from ants, the following forms of insecticidal preparations are used:

• aerosols
• gels
• solutions
• powders
• traps.

Aerosols act briefly, but are able to cover large areas of the room. They are quite effective against working individuals, but are practically useless against eggs and larvae. The uterus, which hid deep in the bowels of the nest, can also avoid death and later breed again. Therefore, when processing with aerosols, it is necessary to make sure that there is no nest on the territory of the apartment and repeat disinsection after 3-4 weeks.

Gels act on the principle of poisonous bait and are the most effective chemical agent against red ants. They act long enough to destroy the newly emerged from the eggs young. In addition, this is perhaps the only sure way to destroy the nest, since working individuals will bring poison to the nest and feed them not only larvae, but also the uterus, the queen of the colony.

Powders, or dusts, are another proven long-acting remedy against ants. They are scattered around the perimeter of the room, trying to carefully process those places where insects are most often found.

Solutions are used similarly to powders. They are also added to the water when washing floors, they process the walls of the room and other vertical surfaces. When disinfecting with liquid preparations, careful processing of all cracks and holes in which insects can hide is necessary. If a nest is found, the drug is poured directly into its center, trying to ensure that the solution falls not only on the uterus, but also on the brood.

Traps are a plastic container with a poison bait in the center. Working ants, attracted by the smell of goodies, crawl into the container, eat poison and bring it to the nest, where they feed the uterus and juveniles. Thus, it is possible to get rid not only of working individuals, but also of offspring.

Advice! In order to get rid of ants in the house once and for all, it is best to use several chemicals at once, acting in different directions.

Folk ways

Insecticides are the most effective way to get rid of house ants, but their use is not always possible. What to do if disinfestation cannot be carried out in the house, and ants, red pests have bred in it? How to get rid of them without the help of chemicals and at minimal cost? To do this, there are folk, "grandfather" methods.Most commonly used are the following ways to get rid of ants:

• boric acid;
• borax;
• yeast bait;
• boiling water.

Boric acid acts on most insects as intestinal contact poison. Red ants are no exception. When hit by insects, it leads to ulceration of the outer chitinous integument, and when they eat poisoned bait, it causes terrible thirst and rapid death.

In order to prepare the poison, boron powder is mixed with boiled egg yolk and sugar in equal proportions. Vegetable oil is added for viscosity. From the resulting mass form cakes, which are laid out throughout the apartment. You can also sprinkle with powder of the baseboard around the perimeter of the room or brush with sugar syrup with the addition of boric acid all the places where insects appear.

Borax acts on ants in the same way as boron powder. It is mixed with sugar and the resulting mixture is sprinkled with insect movement paths.

Yeast bait is another effective remedy for domestic red ants. When it is eaten in the intestines of pests, violent fermentation processes begin, which, in the end, lead to the death of insects and their larvae. Even the uterus will not be protected from such a “gift”. For its preparation, the yeast is diluted in warm water and mixed with sugar until the consistency of the paste. The resulting mass is coated with skirting boards.

Boiling water can not always be applied in the conditions of the city, but it helps well against ant nests in village houses. They spill the floor in the room, cracks and holes in the floor. At the same time, not only working ants die, but also the uterus with a brood.

Prevention

Preventive measures are necessary in order to consolidate the effect achieved and to prevent the further appearance of ants in the house. With their help, you can get rid of insects in the apartment for many years.

For prevention, the following rules must be observed:

• promptly remove all leftovers from the meal in the bin with a tight-fitting lid;
• do not keep large food supplies in the house;
• Store cereals, flour, sugar and other products in glass jars closed with lids;
• periodically carry out wet cleaning of the room and prevent accumulation of trash and garbage.

To repel insects, you can use odorous herbs, aromatic oils and substances with a strong odor. For example, red ants do not like vinegar, ammonia and laundry soap. Unpleasant to them is also the aroma of cloves and tobacco smoke.

How to make a bait from ants with boric acid, you can learn from this video: