Many species are scavengers that clean up dead animals, decaying food, sap, and even crumbs in your house. In outdoor environments, ants are quite beneficial to the environment. Should I Worry About Ants? Beneficial roles of ants Kings and queens are called “alates” meaning they have wings, which are shed after mating. When ants swarm to mate and reproduce, kings and queens may look quite different from the workers. To tell them apart, we look at the coloring, size, antennae, the petiole (waist) and the rear end. Knowing what kind of ant you're looking at can be important because ants have different habits and food preferences that affect how they react to baits and efforts to remove them from inside buildings. Mostly, ants are confused with other ants and the differences between species can be stark or subtle – requiring a hand lens or microscope. There are a few types of arthropods that mimic ants, but these are not common. Ants, however, are often confused with termites, which have a thicker waist and straight antennae. What do Ants Look Like?Īnts are easily distinguished from most other insects due to their elbowed antennae, lack of wings on workers, and their narrow waists which make the three body segments (head, thorax, abdomen) very distinct. The exception is fire ants, which are not currently found in NY. Ants invading homes should be controlled, but ant colonies outside can usually be left alone, especially in lawns where they aerate the soil, remove weed seeds, and reduce populations of pests that feed on grass. Before you grab the insecticide, consider whether they are truly a pest. Ants do many things to benefit the environments where they live, including your home lawn and gardens. In North America the number is even lower. Of the 12,000 ant species worldwide, only about 50 become household pests. Ants are insects related to bees and wasps (Order Hymenoptera).
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