What Do Ants Eat
What Do Ants Eat? Well…
We all know that the ants pillaging and sneaking about our homes are looking for something to eat, but what? Do ants eat sugar? Do they eat bread, salt, chicken? What do we have that they want so badly, and how did they get in to find it? Well, the answers are numerous to this subject, and depends mostly on the size and origin of the ant in question. What do ants eat? Let’s begin with the little variety of ants that we mistakenly quip as sugar ants.
The true sugar ant is a species native to the Australian continent, and is a large aggressive ant who shoots acid out of the nape of his abdomen when feeling threatened or agitated. The small ants that we refer to as sugar ants are actually either of two species, the pharaoh or the pavement ant. Theses ants enjoy anything and everything under the sun. Anything a human will consume is considered a delicacy, though these ants will also partake in scavenging the remains of other ants. The reason for the nickname of sugar ant is most likely derived from the belief that sweet treats seem to prompt a stronger pheromone alarm in the worker ants. This pheromone release is designed to signal the finding of a food source from one ant to another, and is passed down through the chain until everybody knows where the jackpot is.
Carpenter ants have a fascinating interconnected relationship with the tiny aphid. The question what do ants eat takes on a whole new subject area when discussion turns to this species. These ants will hunt up to 300 yards away from the nest, kidnapping young aphids from the leaves of foliage and carrying them back to the colony. The young aphids are housed in specialized nursery cells, where they are fed, groomed, nourished, and raised to adulthood. The carpenter ants have an underhanded motive, however. They feed on the nutritious and energy heavy secretion of the young aphid, known as honeydew. The aphids live in the lap of luxury until they are unable to produce this valuable love juice. When they are no longer of use to the carpenter ants, they are eaten, and quickly replaced.
Generally, all ant species will cannibalize at one point or another, and for different reasons. There are ant species, such as the argentine ant, who will brutally invade any other species within a declared territory, and cannibalize their young. Many ant species with gang up on larger organisms, such as grasshoppers and even snakes, for dissection and storage of winter supplies. In all actuality, the question of what do ants eat might be easier to answer by listing the very few things that they won’t eat.