Ants are arguably the greatest success story in the history of the animal kingdom. For every human there are about one million ants. Its only when ants start imposing their presence in our homes and businesses do they start to become a real nuisance. Most ants are in search of food when they enter our property and prefer sweet sticky liquids like jams and honey. Determining what ant species is invading your personal space is important in how we treat these little critters.
What’s the difference between Ants and Flying Ants?
Contrary to popular belief flying ants are not a separate species. Most ant species will have flying ants. Both male and female ants fly during mating season with the females being known as potential queens, whilst the males are known as drones.
The females are much larger than the males and when taking their nuptial flight, the potential queens will only mate with males who they believe to be the fastest and strongest! They will mate with several males during this flight and won’t need to mate again in their lifetime. This is due to the queen being able to store sperm in her abdomen for many years. However, the chances of one of these potential queens starting her own colony is very slim due to high mortality rates. Birds and insecticides play a big part in killing the majority of all potential queens.