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It's unseasonably hot and dry. I came home to find these ants on my walkway through my back yard. They are about 20 feet from the steps to my back porch. Should I leave them or get the DE out?
If you see winged ants in the pile, they're just doing their "Spring Fling" - about to have a mating flight. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant
Most ants are univoltine, producing a new generation each year. During the species-specific breeding period, winged females and winged males, known to entomologists as alates, leave the colony in what is called a nuptial flight. The nuptial flight usually takes place in the late spring or early summer when the weather is hot and humid. Heat makes flying easier and freshly fallen rain makes the ground softer for mated queens to dig nests...
Species that have multiple queens may have a queen leaving the nest along with some workers to found a colony at a new site, a process akin to swarming in honeybees.
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I've had a few run-ins with "crazy ants". They have multiple queens and multiple swarms. They behave "crazy." They're very small and often show up in areas where fire ants are prevalent. But you won't find winged ants in the swarm.
However, if you see multiple swarms of similar ants around your yard, it's probably mating time for that particular species. Just normal behavior.
If you're interested in raising ants in an ant farm, catching a newly mated queen is the best way. You can watch the cycle of life. She'll break off her wings, resorb her muscular hump of wing muscles, and lay her first batch of eggs.
It's unseasonably hot and dry. I came home to find these ants on my walkway through my back yard. They are about 20 feet from the steps to my back porch. Should I leave them or get the DE out?
Thanks
Yikes!! Those look like fire ants to me. You'll need more than DE for those things.
Incidentally, there were starlings all over the yard this afternoon. Dining on the dispersed ants perhaps? I read the article about fire ants from the link posted. I was interested to read that they do have some benefit, they they prey on fleas and ticks.
Fire ants or some other type, perhaps that was their little breeding (colonizing) party, then they spread out to build their homes in my dry grass overnight. But the starlings had a feast instead.
And now we're having thunderstorms. First rain in over a week. Highly unusual for around here in April, it's been in the high 80s all week. Usually it's still snowing, anyway.
I went out to my garden area yesterday and I have all the fire (or plain) red ants.
Serious infestation. I'm pouring boiling water on the area for today.
Have to call pro's tomorrow. Too much for me. DE used yesterday but then I saw how bad it is.
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