Are you sick of having a troupe of ants in your kitchen area? Have you gone mad because ants are biting your feet as you unconsciously stepped on the crumbs of food left on the floor?
Well, you’re not alone!
Ants are pretty common in every home, especially in the dining room and kitchen area where food is present.
It’s undeniable that ants can pretty much consume almost anything they see. Food is definitely what makes an area attractive for ants.
If you’re like dying to know and learn why these tiny creatures are lurking in your house, what they love to munch and attack in a bunch, or stay in your home amidst the invitation, this article will explain to you what ants eat, and will answer the questions lingering in your mind about them.
Without further ado, let’s get started!
Ant’s Anatomy
Before digging into an ant’s diet, let’s first talk about an ant’s anatomy and what their bodies need to survive.
Ants have jaws which are called mandibles, and they use these to cut, hold, hunt, dig, and process food. These mandibles also help them lift any food and salivate them to consume it quickly.
They also have antennae that allow them to smell, feel, touch anything, and help them to communicate with one another as they seek sources of food.
The ones we see mostly are worker ants. These types of ants have two stomachs. One is present for food storage as they transport them to their nests. One is used to store liquid and give them the nutrients they need.
Most adult ants eat sweet foods like nectar sugar, while the young ones need more protein like dead insects.
What Do They Eat?
Sweet Foods
The very common sources of sweet foods are nectars and honeydew extracts which contain what ants love, glucose and fructose.
However, these types of sugars can also be found in sweet fruits such as strawberries, oranges, apples, bananas, etc.
Not just that, they also love to eat sugary foods from us like spots of jam, bread crumbs, and sugar. Ants have the ability to sense food from a far, and proceed there immediately.
Grains And Plants
Did you know that some ants are vegetarians?
These types of ants only look for greeneries like plants and leaves. Now you know why your lawn is ruined, because these vegan ants love to eat them. Not just that, they also love grains and seeds.
Apart from eating leaves, these leaf-cutters could also grow fungus from leaves, bringing some leaves and flowers to their home and leaving it as fertilizers. By this, fungus grows which the ant larvae consume.
Dead Insects
There are also ants who love meat.
These are called fire ants who love to consume meat, sweets, and even plants.
They love to eat dead worms and insects like spiders, rodents, and ticks as they provide the greasy type of food that they like.
Ants
Ants also have the capacity to be cannibalistic. Meaning they will eat ant eggs or young ants just to survive.
This usually happens when the queen ant is endangered from starving, thus pushing her to eat her children.
Conclusion
Indeed, ants are just very tiny creatures, but they can do things big time when they do something as a troupe.
Not only can they eat every sort of food left on the table, but they can also damage your lawn and garden.
Therefore, if you want to get rid of them, make sure to get rid of the sources too. It’ll best help if you maintain your home clean and sanitized.
Remove dead insects from your lawn which mainly attracts these ants and trim your bushes and plants regularly.
We hope to have helped you answer your questions about ants and their diet.
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