Ants
Ants
Several ant species can cause problems in the home and garden, directly or indirectly. These small insects can vary in size from 2-20 mm in length, and colours range from reddish-brown to black. The insect's body show clear constrictions between the head, thorax and abdomen. Only the adults have wings to fly, spreading to other areas to start new colonies. The worker ants of most species will run in trails.
Ants can be a mere nuisance or cause some plants to die by excavating the soil from under their root systems. They can also be seen on plants heavily infested with aphids, mealy bugs or scale insects, where the ants will protect these insects from predators, in exchange for honeydew obtained from the plant. The sticky honeydew on the leaves of these plants are colonised by fungi, called sooty moulds, giving the plants a black, felt-like covering.