At some point in your life, you’ve dropped a cookie crumbs on the ground and right away a bunch of ants came and ate it.
It looks like ants can consume almost anything they spot and your kitchen can be very attractive. If you want to know why ants are in your house, what they like to eat, and what else makes them come, read this article.
First things first, let’s look at how ants are built and what they need to live.
Ants are equipped with the so-called mandibles (jaws). They are used for cutting, holding, digging, hunting, food processing. They help ants pick up any food scraps that are left behind and chew them up so they can eat them easily.
Furthermore, ants have antennae which are one of the most important parts of their body. Ants can smell, touch, and feel anything thanks to their antennae, which also help them find food and talk to each other.
Worker ants, the ones we can mostly see, have two stomachs. The first one is called the mesosoma, and it’s where ants store their food. When they get back to the nest, they vomit the food out to feed the rest of the colony. The rostrum is the ant’s second stomach. It’s where the liquid food goes and gives the ant nutrients. Speaking of which, adults need more carbohydrates so that they can be energetic. This is why you mostly spot ants on sweet things like nectar. However, younger ants need more protein, which adults bring to the nest in the form of dead bugs.
Ants eat a variety of things for different purposes. Anyway, now that you know how ants get their food, let’s talk about what kind of food they like best:
Ants can get sugar from many sources. Usually, they get it from the flower nectar or extract the honeydew from the aphids. The nectar contains two types of sugars, glucose and fructose which ants really like.
Of course, ants can be seen eating different types of fruit such as oranges, strawberries, bananas etc. If you use your finger to wipe up a jam spill, remember that ants can smell it from far away and will come to your kitchen right away.
Certain types of ants are vegan. They look for seeds, grains, plants, leaves and other greenery. They even grow fungus out of the leaves. The leaf-cutter ants are known for their ability to be gardeners. They cut sections of leaves, flowers or grass, take it to their nests and don’t eat it. Instead, these ants clear the garbage and decay. Leaves act as a fertilizer to grow fungus which ants larvae feed on.
Like people, there are meat lovers among ants. Such is the fire ants which are omnivorous and can feed on meat, plants and sugary food. They love greasy food and insects or worms can provide it. Fire ants can eat dead animals, as well. They can eat spiders, ticks, even birds and rodents.
Believe it or not, ants can be cannibalistic. A lot of people know that army ants go into other ants’ nests and eat the eggs and young ants. In other cases, when the queen is endangered from lacking food sources, she can eat her offspring.
Ants have a reputation for loving sweet things like picnic desserts and kitchen sugar But did you know many ant species also consume plant matter as a key part of their diets? Let’s take a closer look at the vegetarian side of ant eating habits
Do Ants Eat Plants Directly?
Ants are omnivores that eat a wide variety of foods. However they don’t typically consume plants directly. You won’t see ants munching on leaves or chewing on stems. So what plant matter do ants eat?
Ants get much of their nutrition from sap-sucking insects that feed on plants By milking these bugs for their liquid waste called honeydew, ants get an indirect source of sugary plant nutrients Ants also consume flower nectar, seeds, fruits, and fungi that grow on plants.
Honeydew – Ants’ Favorite Sugary Snack
Honeydew is a sweet, sticky liquid excreted by insects like aphids, scale, mealybugs, and others that pierce plant tissues and feed on sap. It contains sugars and nutrients drawn from the plant.
Ants herd and protect these sap-sucking bugs, stroking them with their antennae to stimulate honeydew production. The ants then drink the sugary honeydew. This mutually beneficial relationship gives ants a carbohydrate-rich food source.
Some ant species even carry aphids back to their nests to “milk” them for honeydew. Ants get access to nutritious plant-derived sugars, while sap-suckers get protected from predators.
Nectar – A Sweet Reward from Flowers
In exchange for pollination services, ants also drink nectar from flowers. Nectar is essentially a diluted honeydew excreted by plants themselves, containing sugars and amino acids.
Species like honey ants and carpenter ants seek out flowers to sip this sweet nectar. Certain plants even have specialized nectar reservoirs just for ants to access. This ensures ants provide ample pollination.
Seeds and Fruits – Hidden Gems for Ants
Ants are excellent seed dispersers. They carry all kinds of seeds, fruits, and nuts back to their nests to feed to ant larvae. While adult ants don’t digest these plant foods well themselves, larvae produce enzymes to unlock the nutrients.
Common ant-dispersed seeds include wild strawberries, violets, bloodroot, trillium, and many others. Even large seeds and fruits like acorns and blackberries get transported by busy ant workers. This aids plant propagation and reduces competition near the parent plant.
Ant Fungus Farming
Some ants go beyond just eating plants and actually “farm” fungi in their nests as a food source! Species like leafcutter ants cut sections of leaves and carry them into their nest. The ants chew the plant matter into a pulp to fertilize fungal gardens.
Ants cannot digest the leaves themselves. But specialized fungi that grow in their nest can break down the cellulose and convert it into nutritious food the ants can digest. Fungus farming helps meet ants’ nutritional needs.
Why Don’t Ants Eat More Plants Directly?
With ants being omnivores, it may seem odd they don’t consume more vegetation directly. There are a few key reasons for this:
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Fiber – Plant fiber and cell walls are hard for ants to digest without fungal assistance.
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Toxins – Many plants produce ant-repelling compounds or oils ants avoid.
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Mandibles – Ant mouthparts are better adapted for liquid foods, not chewing vegetation.
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Nutrition – Plants lack adequate protein; ants get more nutrients from sap-suckers.
So rather than gnaw on leaves and stems, ants stick to sipping nectar, gathering seeds, and milking bugs like aphids for their honeydew “milkshake.” This gives ants an indirect nutritious plant-based diet.
What Specific Plants Do Ants Eat From?
Ants tap into a diverse variety of plant species to satisfy their hunger. Here are some of the most popular vegetation ants extract food from:
- Oak trees – Sip sap and collect acorns
- Blackberry bushes – Feast on berries and nectar
- Fruit trees – Consume fallen fruit and flower nectar
- Garden vegetables – Drink nectar and harvest aphid honeydew
- Ornamental flowers – Devour pollen and sip sweet nectar
- Cover crops like clover – Feed on nectar from blooms
- Maple and birch trees – Drink sap from wounds in bark
- Fungi like coral mushrooms – Grow as “crop” in nests
Wherever ants can find sweet, nutrient-packed plant foods, they will take advantage. Follow the ants in your yard to discover what flora they frequent.
Encouraging Ants to Pollinate Plants
Here are some tips for attracting beneficial pollinating ants to your garden:
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Choose fragrant, nectar-producing flowers and herbs like lavender, oregano, thyme.
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Allow a few aphids as ant bait, but not enough to damage plants.
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Create habitats like rock piles and rotting logs ants will colonize.
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Avoid excessive mulching that blocks access to soil-dwelling ants.
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Grow native plants with seeds specially adapted for ant dispersal.
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Use compost and avoid synthetic pesticides that deter ants.
With a bit of encouragement, ants can become productive pollinators and seed dispersers for your plants!
Ants Play Key Roles in Gardens
Far from simply being sugar-crazed picnic pests, ants in fact interact closely with plants in many ways that can benefit your garden:
- Transfer pollen from flower to flower as they collect nectar
- Prey on pest insects like cabbage worms and potato beetles
- Aerate soil and recycle nutrients as they excavate nests
- Disperse seeds of native plants, encouraging biodiversity
- Feed on neglected plant sources like fallen fruits and fungi
Rather than seeing ants only as a nuisance, recognize the important ecological roles they can play in your yard and garden landscape. Letting ants fulfill their plant-related tasks results in a healthier ecosystem.
Though they may seem fixated on sweets, ants get considerable nutrition from plants, whether directly from flower nectar or indirectly via sap-sucking insects. Through their complex interactions with vegetation, ants help support biodiversity and the web of life in your backyard.
Plants as a connection
Ants can use some plants, trees or bushes as a connection from the garden to your house. For example, there might be a branch very close to the kitchen window. Ants will use it to easily get to your home.
Yes, salt can be another attractive source. There is a study that explains that ants living far from the sea or ocean tend to search for salt as they have less access than ants that live close by the seaside.
Scientifically, there’s no evidence of a correlation between ants and light. Anyway, people share they see flying ants fluttering around and heading to a certain light source. Usually, these ants (called alates) are a reproductive caste which function is to reproduce. If you see them, it’s probably time for them to mate. The smaller ants are males and the bigger ones are queens.
Yes, urine can be very attractive to ants but in certain cases. In the past, doctors in India noticed that ants are drawn to the urine of people who have diabetes. But why? People with this condition have elevated blood sugar which gets into the urine.
What Attracts Ants to Your House Besides Food?
As any other insect, rodent or other creature, ants need water. For that reason, they will search for water in order to build their nest. If your garden experiences drought, the colony will head to your property to search for accessible water.
So the most common places for ants to hang out are sinks in your kitchen or bathroom where water can pool.
Check also: Most Common Pests in Restaurant Kitchens
Usually, ants build their nests underground where it’s safe and offers perfect conditions for settling their colony down. Anyway, some might be nesting behind or under your appliances, wall cavities, under floorboards or behind wallpapers.
Sometimes when you apply certain types of pesticides in your garden, it can repel ants. Then, the whole colony will move to your house where no chemicals threaten them.
Ants on your plants? It may indicate a bigger problem.
FAQ
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