What do you really know about ants? Here are a few interesting facts. There are more than 12,000 species of ants worldwide. Some queen ants can live for many years and have millions of babies. When the queen of the colony dies, the colony can only survive for a few months. There are three kinds of ants in a colony, the queen, the female workers and the males. Since ants live in colonies they are considered social insects, and they have been around for millions of years.
You may be wondering if there is anything good or useful about ants. Well, actually there is. The informative article below was written by Steven Handel and Christina M.K. Kauzinger over on Fine Gardening website and shares some interesting useful facts about ants.
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When you wander through your lawn or garden and stumble across an anthill, a small mound of soil molded into tiny pellets, it’s often a gardener’s first instinct to destroy it. You stomp and kick until the small hill disappears and the tiny ants scurry off.
But by doing so, you’re actually doing a disservice to your garden. Though most gardeners find these anthills a nuisance, they are our first clue to the important, helpful roles ants play in gardens and lawns—they’re tiny rototillers. Tunneling ants turn over as much soil as earthworms do, aerating the soil and redistributing nutrients. Ants are also part of the world recycling crew: acting as scavengers, collecting dead insects and turning them into fertilizer for your soil.
Rather than being seen as pests, ants can be understood as our partners in gardening. One of the most easily observed and important roles that ants play is as seed dispersers.
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You can read the full article at Fine Gardening.
Click page 3 to see an informative video that reveals 10 simple things you can do today to control ants in your home and in your garden.