Are ants pests or beneficial insects? Understanding the pros and cons of ants in one article

In most cases, ants are beneficial insects, playing an important role in environmental cleanliness, traditional Chinese medicine materials and other aspects. Some species are pests, such as termites and army ants. The well-known “a thousand-mile dike collapses because of an ant hole” mainly refers to termites, and termites also damage trees and wooden products.

Ants are the most common insects on Earth and the most numerous insect species. Since all kinds of ants live in social groups, they were collectively called “ants” in ancient times. According to modern morphological scientific classification, ants can be divided into two major groups: true ants and termites. Some are pests to humans, while some ants are harmless and can even be used in scientific experiments! Some can also be used as medicinal materials!

The harm caused by ants can be summarized as biting and disturbing people, spreading germs, polluting the environment and damaging buildings. It is mainly manifested in 2 aspects: first, direct economic losses caused by feeding damage and contamination; second, indirect losses caused by the spread of multiple diseases and harm to human health.

The small black ants we often see outdoors are also an important link in the food chain we live in. If the food waste, crumbs, dead insect bodies and so on that we discard were not further digested by ants and other insects, the environment we live in would soon become rotten and unbearable.