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| Garden Ant |
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| Appearance: |
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Workers 4-5mm long. |
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Queens 15mm long. |
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Dark brown-black in colour. |
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1 small segment at waist point (pedicel). |
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No sting present. |
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| Lifecycle: |
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Queens over winter in soil. The eggs are laid in late spring and the larvae hatch 3–4 weeks later. |
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Larvae feed on secretions from the queen's salivary glands until the first worker ants emerge. |
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Worker ants continue with larval care, nest building and food foraging. |
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Fertile males are produced later in the season. |
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| Habits : |
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Foraging worker ants follow well–defined trails around food sources. Sweet foods are preferred but high protein foods will also be taken. |
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Swarming characteristics – mating between queens and fertile males takes place on the wing during late summer and the males perish after mating. |
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Nest locations – often outdoors in soil and below paving slabs on the sunny side of buildings. Nest locations can be identified by the presence of finely powdered soil around nest exit holes. |
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| Pharaoh Ant |
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| Appearance: |
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Workers 1.5–2mm long, yellow–brown with brown abdomen. |
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Males 3mm long, black and winged. |
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Queens 3.5–6mm long, dark red in colour with wings. |
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Black eyes. 2 small segments at the pedicel. |
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| Lifecycle: |
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Multi–queen colonies. |
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Swarming can take place at any time of the year. |
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Winged adults seldom fly so rarely seen. Wings are soon lost after mating. |
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| Habits : |
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Well–defined trails are laid which are often associated with heating systems. Feeds indoors on high protein foods — meat, fats, blood, dead insects, etc. |
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Swarming characteristics — new colonies are often formed through nests that have been disturbed e.g., as a result of insecticide spray treatments. Each queen produces up to 3500 eggs in its lifetime. |
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Nest locations — deep seated in cavities in heated buildings. Often found in hospitals. Associated with humid conditions. Colonies can range from a few dozen to 300,000 individuals. |
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