Are ants beneficial insects or pests? You will understand after reading this
Ants generally refer to the family Formicidae, an insect with social living habits, widely distributed around the world. So are they beneficial insects or pests? What are their living habits?
Are ants beneficial insects or pests?
Ants refer to the family Formicidae, and there are both beneficial insects and pests. For example, the small black ants we usually see outdoors are beneficial insects; they can digest some food waste, crumbs and so on, improving the environment to a certain extent. But termites are pests; they gnaw on trees, furniture and so on, causing a certain amount of harm to humans.
What are the living habits of ants?
1. Food
Lower types of ants are carnivorous, feeding on insects, small animals and even sick or dead large animals; the Dolichoderinae subspecies, the higher types in the Myrmicinae and Formicinae, can feed on both animals and plants, and are especially fond of the “honeydew” secreted by aphids and scale insects; most other ant species are omnivorous, mostly feeding on seeds, fruits, insects and so on. Among them, ants of the Ponerinae and Dorylinae generally feed only on meat.
2. Reproduction
Ants generally go through the stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult, generally taking 15-20 days. Only the queen reproduces, and the queen can live as long as 20 years.
3. Survival
Ants are social insects that live in colonies, and they are strongly attached to their nests. Most species build nests underground or in trees, and they are omnivorous, generally eating both plants and meat. An ant nest is generally one family. A colony has one or several queens (female ants). Worker ants specialize in building nests, foraging, raising the young and so on, and are the most numerous;
Ants are insects with a certain medicinal value, having anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, antispasmodic, liver-protecting and other effects. However, everyone should not casually catch ants outdoors to make wine, so as to avoid other adverse consequences.