![]() Habitat Carpenter ant cleaning antennaeĬarpenter ant species reside both outdoors and indoors in moist, decaying, or hollow wood, most commonly in forest environments. The mesosoma in profile usually forms a continuous curve from the pronotum through to the propodeum. The bases of the antennae are separated from the clypeal border by a distance of at least the antennal scape's maximum diameter. In their farming, the ants protect the aphids from predators (usually other insects) while they excrete a sugary fluid called honeydew, which the ants get by stroking the aphids with their antennae.Ĭamponotus are generally large ants: workers are 4–7 mm long in small species and 7–13 mm in large species, queens are 9–20 mm long and males are 5–13 mm long. Nevertheless, their ability to excavate wood helps in forest decomposition. They also commonly infest wooden buildings and structures, causing a widespread problem: they are a major cause of structural damage. Sometimes, carpenter ants hollow out sections of trees. ![]() However, unlike termites, they do not consume wood, but instead discard a material that resembles sawdust outside their nest. They build nests inside wood, consisting of galleries chewed out with their mandibles or jaws, preferably in dead, damp wood. Both ants and termites lose their wings after mating.Carpenter ants ( Camponotus spp.) are large (0.3 to 1 in or 8 to 25 mm) ants indigenous to many forested parts of the world. After termites mate, both male and female partners live on and continue to expand their new colonies. In ant species, the male partners typically die after mating with the females. During warm months, fertile winged ants and termites fly from their nests to mate and establish new colonies. Most termites survive for a couple years, while termite queens may live for decades.īoth types of pests have similar reproductive cycles. In contrast, the termite life cycle includes egg, nymph (larvae), and adult phases. Worker ants live for a few months, while queens can live for years. Life Cycle DifferencesĪnts go through four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. On the other hand, termites consume mainly wood, paper, and other cellulose-based products. Ants primarily eat nectar, seeds, other insects, and food debris found around and inside homes. The diets of these two pests differ, as ants are omnivores and termites feed on cellulose, which is a nutrient-rich material found in plants. Termites can cause serious structural damage since they eat the wood, while carpenter ants do not eat wood and thus generally do not cause structural damage. Some ants, like carpenter ants, also inhabit wood and the wooden parts of structures. Termites can be found in decaying trees, stumps, wood debris, lumber, and the wooden members of a structure. Behavior Differencesīoth ants and termites live in large colonies with designated caste systems. Flying ants have two pairs of brown-tinted wings that differ in size. Their bodies can be black, brown, or reddish. In contrast, ants have elbowed antennae and pinched waists. Swarmers, or flying termites, have clear front and back wings that are the same length. They are characteristically black or dark brown. Termites have straight antennae and wide bodies without pinched waists. More information on ants Appearance Differences
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |