Outside of a few species such as fire ants and carpenter ants, we see these insects as mostly harmless. However, most ant species can spread disease, because they often come into contact with spoiled food or waste when they are out foraging. In this article, we’re going to cover the relationship between ants and disease spread.
Which ant species spread diseases?
Almost all ant species are capable of spreading diseases, but a handful are much more likely to do it than others. At the top of this list is the pharaoh ant. Pharaoh ants are tiny and yellow, and their colonies have multiple queens, which makes them quite resilient to control efforts.
Fire ants also pose a health hazard, but not because of the disease that they can spread. These ants have a venomous sting, which they are not shy to use in order to defend their colonies. Not only can this venom be very dangerous to people who are allergic to it, it can also be dangerous in large quantities. When a fire ant colony is under threat, the workers will behave just like bees. They will swarm the threat, stinging it multiple times, potentially injecting a large amount of venom collectively. This can lead to a shock in the victim, coma, and even death.
How to protect yourself and your home
There are a few things that you can do to protect your home against dangerous ant species. To start, you have preventive measures. From keeping your food in sealed containers, to pest-proofing your home and using insecticides and baits proactively, there are numerous preventive measures that can keep both your home and your backyard safe.
You then have the option of implementing preemptive control measures. Baits and insecticides can be placed around the property in order to either kill a colony while it’s still young, or to deny entry to ants along with many other insects. For example, broadcast treatment insecticides can be applied to certain areas of your property so that fire ants cannot enter them. Similarly, baits can be placed strategically, to draw in any young ant colony and destroy it before it has a chance to get out of hand. For more information about dangerous ant species and the control methods that can be used against, or if you have an infestation that has to be removed, contact us today.