Ants and termites don’t work well together. What kind of ants attack termites? Black ants and flying ants are common species that attack termites. Some kinds of ants and termites can cause damage to your house, offices, yard, or area.
Both the insects are developed in the same environment. They live in the soil, and a cross between them is common. Both ants and termites fight with each other to win against each other.
Ants can easily attack the colonies of termites. They find termites an attractive feast for their protein nutrition. Several species of ants are known to eat and kill termites. Moreover, not all termites are easy to catch. They tend to escape from ants.
Over the years, they have strengthened their features. Some of the species of termites like larvae and soldiers are hard to catch. Similarly, not every species of ants can attack termites. Even other insects or pests can kill termites.
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Why Do Ants Eat Termites?
Ants and termites require similar habitats. Since many of their species live and grow together, they often cross each other. A few ant species eat termites, such as flying ants, black ants, and carpenter ants. They kill termites too.
Termites are related to Cryptocercus. Ants consume termites as their food. Termites provide protein to ants. Ants love termites’ soft bodies. They try to catch termites very smartly. Although even termite species, excluding some, can escape from the ants.
Since ants need food in abundance, they don’t attack termites in one go. They attack termites in small numbers and consume them as food. They like to preserve termites for later food consumption. Carpenter ants eat wood to build their house.
Similarly, termites also build houses by eating wood. Ants protect their nests by targeting termites. And so they can have a large number of habitats. In this way, they remove their enemies’ competitors to build houses.
Do Black Ants Eat Termites?
Like red, fire, or carpenter ants, termites eat red ants. Black ants eat termites. Black ants love to attack termites in their nests in your yard. Termite nests are hard to enter, so black ants don’t attack termites in large numbers. They enter nests through vents and eat termites to fill their food needs.
Although black ants can’t eat all the termites from the colony, they can invade dry wood termites in any furniture or wood. Several termites successfully escape from there. Black ants are big yet they fail to catch dry wood termites easily.
Since the termites escape from ants, they continue to cause damage to the wood. Black ants catch only a few termites.
Do Carpenter Ants Eat Wood?
The Carpenter ant is an attractive insect. Just like termite swarmers, they have wings. But they are harmful. It can destroy homes or offices. It’s an interesting fact. They don’t feature a lung. Carpenter ants breathe from holes in their bodies.
In addition, carpenter ants cause damage. However, they don’t eat wood. It is believed that they eat wood. Carpenter ants do contain powerful mandibles. It helps them to eat solid food conveniently.
Carpenter ants can chew woods but can’t swallow them. They chew woods for making nests and tunnels. They never eat wood. But they can chew the woods very easily. And hence can create tons of sawdust, so if you have carpenter ants in your home. You can imagine the kind of damage at your home.
Termites vs. Ants: Who’s the Winner?
The majority is the one who wins the race. So termites are the winners between them and ants. Although, ants attack termites in large numbers. But still, termites win the race. Termites are now prepared with powerful features to beat ants. The soldier and larvae termites have made their mandibles more powerful.
Plus, the other termites gather in groups to fight against ants. They make the termite queen escape from behind. All these things make termites have a strong potential to win the battle with ants. In addition, ants attack termites for food.
Once they achieve their target, they leave. They don’t bother to attack other termites. The outcome of the winner is termites always. A large number of termites in their colony beats ants mostly,
Do Ants Ever Win Against Termites?
Not often. Ants don’t dominate termites every time. And even termites are not very weak or dump. Termites are now very prepared for every attack by insects. Plus, they try their best to escape from ants. Termite larvae also fight equally with ants since they have made their mandibles strong over the years.
The other soldier termites are very competitive with ants. They fight with ants till their last breath. Not only this, but the large groups of termites fight with ants to escape the termite’s queen conveniently. So it is nearly impossible for ants to kill termites inside their colony.
Also, some of the termites find tunnels to escape. Tunnels are very small, and ants don’t fit in them. So they fail to catch termites. In this way, ants do eat some termites. But they fail to catch all the termites. So the result is clear: ants don’t win. Instead, termites are a clear winner with the majority.
Are Ants A Sign Of Termites?
No, ants are not a specific sign of termites. All the ants, such as black, red, or carpenter ants, are no sign of termites. Sometimes a termite mound can draw ants into your area, garden, or home. A broken termite mound makes many termites roam freely in any surrounding area.
However, ants are naturally found in homes or yards without termites. It is unnecessary for ants as termites are their food, but not the only food. So you can find ants without termites too.
Termites have no set rules for them, and ants collide every time. You can decrease the termite population with ants. But this is also not a compulsory way.
What kind of ants attack termites?
Ants and termites have never been friends. They both have a natural rivalry. Ants are the biggest threat to termites other than any bugs. They like to attack termites and eat them.
Sometimes they attack to mark their place to build nests in large numbers. The ants that attack termites are flying ants, black ants, and carpenter ants.
The most powerful predators of termites are Argentine ants. These are from California. Argentine ants are the only species of ants that attack termites. They do better than any other kind of ants. However, carpenter ants cannot eat wood. Yet they can attack the termites.
They attack very little. Black ants are the predators who mostly eat them and do not kill termites. They love the body type of termites. But they always fail to attach termites in large numbers. Most of the termites find a way to escape.
Conclusion:
Termites and ants are born rivals. They have been fighting this battle for ages. They have not found a clear winner yet. Still, they are fighting with each other. Termites have the advantage of being a large group. First, they use this against ants to beat them.
At the same time, ants such as Argentine ants can kill termites conveniently and wipe the colony of termites. Both the insects prevent their nest with each other. They are neighbors who are against each other for their food and shelter.
You can use the ants to kill termites in your area or garden. But ants are not a great alternative to keep termites away from your home. Once the ants are full of eating termites, they leave. It gives the termites enough time to reorganize the colony and regrow.
Since both termites and ants can cause structural damage, it is quite dangerous to have both insects simultaneously. You can use a material like pest control or termite killer granules to keep termites away.
