Ants are one of the most common types of insects in Australia, which means that they are also one of the most common types of pests. They love entering our home to steal away food supplies to bring back to their nest. Ants are also incredibly fascinating insects, there are plenty of amazing facts you can learn about them. At Pest Control North Brisbane, we have been providing ant pest control services for many years. Our friends at Pesky Possum Bird & Pest Control recently posted a great article on their site covering the 5 best ant facts. We decided to share it with our visitors over here on Pest Control North Brisbane. Here are 5 amazing ant facts you should now.
1. Ants Are Strong
You have probably heard that ants are very strong for their size, but do you know exactly how strong they are? Ants can lift up to 20 times their body weight! If we had the same strength then we would be able to easily lift the average car. In fact, some ants can even carry up to 50 times their body weight!
2. They Are A Diverse Species
Many people wrongly believe that there are only a few different types of ants. Yes, we often come in contact with the usual aspects like bull ants, however there are actually over 12,000 different species of ants all over the world. With so many different species it’s not hard to see why ants are so common. They are so common in fact that they exist on almost every continent of the earth.
3. Ants Don’t Have Ears
Yes, you read that right. Ants actually don’t have ears. This is similar to rats in fact. However, even though they don’t have ears or hear like us, ants still have a sense of hearing. They use vibrations of the ground to pick up on sounds which allows them to stay alert of the environment around them. That is just one of the reasons why ants are so amazing!
4. Ants Have Been Around For a Long Time
Many of us marvel at how long animals like sharks and crocodiles have been roaming the earth for. But did you know that ants have been around for a pretty long time too? According to study from Harvard and Florida State Universities, ants have been around for over 130 million years!
5. Ant Colonies Can Be Huge
Have you ever come in contact with an ant colony or an ant nest? You probably would have noticed that ant colonies can get pretty large, but did you know that some ant colonies get so large they become super colinies? Super colonies can contain more than 300 million ants and have been spotted here in Australia.