Banded Sugar Ants

Banded sugar ant, sugar ant, or Camponotus Consobrinus are the same thing. These ants are native to the Australian land. The distinctive feature of the sugar ant and their love for sugar has earned them this name ‘sugar ant.’ These ants are polymorphic in nature and are quite enormous in size.

They are divided into two groups – one being the major worker or soldiers and the other group comprises of the minor workers. Sugar ants are found in mesic habitats. They love the woodlands, forests, and are a common form of pests. Today, we will talk about every detail that you should know about banded sugar ants.

Identification – How do the Banded Sugar Ants look like?

The sugar ants have different types of forms. They can be 5mm to 15mm in size. This makes them quite large in size. They are polymorphic, and their colonies are divided amidst two types of workers. One being the major and the other being the minor ones. The minor workers have a slender and smaller body whereas the soldier ants are robust and larger in size. Both the major and minor worker ants are small in size when it stands in front of the queen sugar ant. They are the largest in the entire ant colony. Both genetic and ecological influence are responsible for the color of the sugar ants. Temperature, humidity, and isolation have an impact on the color of each sugar ant.

One can easily recognize the female sugar ants. They have a black colored head, a thorax that is orange in color, and a band of orange-brown color that wraps their gaster. On the other hand, male sugar ants are completely black in color. The thorax and the legs are rust colored. Sugar ants have the base of their antennas and the mandibles black colored. Their heads exceed the size of their thorax. The worker sugar ants have dark colored wings with yellow colored nerves and stigmata.

Where can you find the Banded Sugar Ants?

Sugar ants are extremely popular in Australia, but they are very common in the south-east region of Australia. The sugar ants are found in Queensland, Charters Towers, Brisbane, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, and so on. They are a very common kind of pest that infests houses in southern east regions. One will hardly find any sugar ant in the north-west part. When they are not invading homes, they can be found in grasslands, woodlands, heaths, eucalypt forests, and other habitats that have a good supply of moisture.

You can locate the nests of banded sugar ants in different places. From holes in woods, twigs, roots, shrubs, soil, to rocks, and underneath stones.

What do they eat?

Sugar ants have earned themselves the name because of their fondness to sugary food. They can be easily spotted in houses during the night time. Sugar ants possess the power to destroy wood and furniture. The sugar ants don’t have the power to bite or sting a human. They can, however, be very dangerous to households because they can destroy your precious belongings. This is applicable only for the minor workers. Both the queen and soldier sugar ants have powerful jaws which they use to pierce your skin and cause a tremendous amount of pain. They can also corrode your skin with formic acid.

The banded sugar ants love to eat sweet things and are omnivores by nature. They consume the fluids that plant consuming insects secrete. Southern cattle tick and termites are both hunted down by the sugar ants.

How are Sugar Ants harmful to humans?

Sugar ants enter homes in search of food. And, it is then you are concerned about their bites. Most of the times it will be a well-mannered minor worker from the sugar ant family that will invade your home in search of sugary food. They don’t bite unless they feel threatened. Once they are disturbed, they will raise their upper body as a sign of warning and show off their mandibles. If it continues to feel threatened, then it will bite you. Sugar ants will spray an acid that will cause burning like sensation in your body. Once you are bitten by sugar ants, make sure you cool off that area by applying some ice. Follow this with an application of antiseptic cream. If you face an allergic reaction to the formic acid sprayed on your skin, then seek medical help as soon as possible. Although, sugar ant bites look like small red bumps they can turn into blisters or large size welts if you are having a reaction.

Signs of Sugar Ant Infestation in your Home

Sugar ants are renowned for their industrious nature in the world of insects. No matter what their characteristics are, they are extremely dangerous to your health and property. Moreover, who really wants to live with pests? They have the potential to multiply fast, so if you are leaving behind bread or cookie crumbs then these mischievous little creatures will pay you a visit. So, how do you recognize the signs of infestations in your home?

The food is gone

No sign of food that you happened to leave behind uncovered. If you didn’t wash your dishes or forgot to cover unfinished food, then there is a high chance that sugar ants will eat all of it. Sugar ants have the potential to smell food from far. They will also eat the food that your pet left behind in its bowl.

Did you come across a colony?

Have you come across ants in your garden? Maybe a few? If yes, then be sure they are walking with an army underneath the ground. Walking the distance from your garden to your home is of absolutely no trouble to ants. So, be sure they will enter your home looking for food.

They make sounds

Sugar ants are smart and leave their nests at night. If you hear a rustling sound coming from your walls, be sure there is a nest of ants leaving behind them. Try knocking on the walls. Do they sound hollow? If yes, then the sugar ants have eaten through your walls.

Look for damages

Sugar ants have the potential to eat through your wood shavings. They leave behind a long trail of their deeds. Look for damages in your furniture. If you see sawdust or wood shavings it means that the sugar ants are the ones to blame. But, ants can’t damage wood like termites. So, make sure you understand the difference.

How to Get Rid of Banded Sugar Ants

Not only do these ants steal your sugary food items, but they also bite and cause havoc. That is why it is time you get rid of the sugar ants.

Maintain cleanliness

Keep your house very clean and free from any kind of crumbs. Sugar ants will be drawn towards candies, biscuits, cakes, and in general, all that you love to eat. Every trash that your household members produce should be carefully disposed of. Sugar ants will not hesitate to eat your pets’ leftover food. So, clean their food bowl once they are done eating. Even one grain of crumb can attract a colony of sugar ants. So, you have to clean your home accordingly.

The use of soap and water solution

The disinfectant that you use to mop your floors or the ones you use to clean dishes have the power to repel sugar ants. The strong smell is enough to drive them away but not for a very long time. If you catch the sugar ants stealing your food, then use a soap and water solution. Spray it on the ants every time you see them. You can even spray it in the cracks of your walls.

Airtight containers are an absolute must

Store your food in airtight containers. Don’t leave the dry food in boxes because ants will invade it. Store pasta, rice, flour, sugar, couscous, and cereals in containers as well. Airtight containers are your biggest hope in keeping sugar ants away. Fruits are an important source of sugar. Nobody thinks about them unless the sugar ants attack it. Make sure your fruits are not kept outside. Consume fruits before they become too ripe.

Seal the gaps

Sugar ants will not come knocking at your front door. They will enter through crevices and the smallest of spaces. You have to conduct a thorough investigation of your house and seal every space there is. Look for openings in door sills, window sills, skirting boards, pipework vents, etc. Firstly, use insecticides and then seal these gaps.

Pictures

Take a look at some of these pictures of banded sugar ants:

Sugar ants have been a part of human lives and homes for quite a long time now. Did you know that the total number of ants found in the whole world can outnumber our population? Although the bite of a sugar ant isn’t that painful, they are still a pest. Deal with them as soon as possible.