I THINK MY HOUSE WAS BUILT ON AN ANT HILL! by Jim Shaver
can’ t begin to accurately count
I how many times I’ ve heard a customer say“ my house must have been built on an ant hill!” Surprisingly, the perception that there is a huge ant hill under their house is closer to truth than fiction. Let me explain …
Ants are one of the most prolific creatures on earth. In California our number one pest problem is the Argentine Ant. Like its name suggests, these ants are native of Argentina and were transported to our fair state. Since then, they’ ve been overwhelming the indigenous species, exterminators and homeowners.
Why are they such a problem?
Argentine ants have adapted several behaviors that make them the“ perfect storm” of ants. A few of their most effective adaptations are:
They will nest just about anywhere. In the ground, in a tree, under a house, in a house, in the build-up of leaves on the roof and on and on. Unlike other species of ants that prefer to nest in very specific places and things, Argentine ants never find themselves without a comfy home. My most amazing discovery was an Argentine ant nest in the lock mechanism of a metal sliding window!
They live in large nests, with multiple queens. An Argentine ant nest with 1,000,000 individuals is common and often larger nests are found. Most ants only tolerate one queen in each nest but these particular ants form very large colonies and contain several dozen queens. And, these queens aren’ t just royal egg layers. They are in fact egg laying machines while also tending to their young.
Most ants reproduce by growing wings and flying around finding a suitable mate and setting up a nest. Argentine ants mate and reproduce inside their nest out of the way of hazardous birds, predatory insects and hazardous weather. A swarmer reproduction of most species has about 1 chance in 1000 of surviving. The Argentine ant queen always succeeds!
Argentine ants have no natural predators. Since they are relative newcomers to our area, there are no species of lizard, bird or any of the other usual suspects who just love to eat them. Having accidentally bitten off more than I can chew a couple of times, I can also attest that Argentine ants taste very bitter!
Most ants will walk across a pesticide and suffer the consequences. Argentine ants are very, very sensitive to pesticides and other chemicals. They will go around repellent pesticides never coming in contact with the toxicant. In fact I’ ve seen Argentine ants be repelled( or stirred up) by a fresh coat of paint, a thorough house cleaning and the application of fertilizer to the yard.
Argentine ants engage in a very unique behavior that is designed to ensure the survival of the colony … they bud. As previously mentioned, a typical Argentine ant nest contains several dozen queens. When the nest is threatened, either by pesticide, rain( or a water hose), a new coat of paint or any other situation that is perceived as threatening, the queen takes several thousand workers and heads a different direction. Perhaps a few of the queens will be killed by the pesticide or other threat but certainly some of the queens will survive to set up a new colony elsewhere. When threatened, no matter what, the colony survives.
Perhaps the most unique feature of Argentine ants is the way they cooperate. Most people know that when a nest of ants( say Fire ants) encroaches on another nest, even of the same species, they fight. These fights are devastating to the nest killing large numbers of workers on both sides. Argentine ants don’ t behave that way. When Argentine ants from colony A run into Argentine ants from colony B, they cooperate. They share food, they work together, and they don’ t fight. In fact they often join forces to form super colonies! These super colonies contain tens of millions of individuals and can stretch over large distances. In recent years DNA testing has indicated that almost all of the Argentine ants between Baja and Fresno … are related! As separate colonies met up and joined forces they became one cooperative colony. That is one very, very large ant nest!
The good news
With all of these unique and successful adaptations that have made them the perfect storm of ant infestations, you should know that there is good news. Professional pest elimination specialists have also been adapting and have found ways to combat this prolific pest. The best pest companies now use treatment methods that are designed to take advantage of the Argentine ant’ s cooperate, social lifestyle. Insecticides are available that allow us to target the nests by applying products that Argentine ants carry back home where they are cooperatively distributed and the entire nest is killed. These products are expen-
sive but very effective and have provided a huge benefit in our fight against Argentine ants.
Don’ t worry though, despite the best efforts of pest control specialists, we will never put the resourceful and resilient Argentine ant completely out of business. With the most modern technology and products we can keep them from causing trouble inside your home, but they will always be present in an outdoor setting. Keeping Argentine ants from making it inside your home is quite an accomplishment when you think about it, particularly if you live between Baja and Fresno, because your home“ IS built on an ant hill”… a very large ant hill. HOA
Jim Shaver is the Founder, President and CEO of Antbusters, Inc. a full service pest company based in Carlsbad, CA. Specializing in the hotel / resort industry and homeowners associations, Antbusters, Inc. services more than 120 hotels and 75 homeowners associations in southern California including 4 of the top 100 hotels in the world.
Jim holds several professional licenses including the Structural Pest Control Board Operator’ s License, the Dept. of Pesticide Regulation QAL license as well as an undergraduate Degree in Finance from the University of Arizona and a Master’ s Degree in Business Administration from San Diego State University. In 2007 Jim received national recognition as one of Pest Control Magazine’ s three national Pest Management Professional Innovators of the year.
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Jim lives in Carlsbad, CA with his wife Rachel and two children, Owen and Gillian.
Ant Busters Pest Elimination 6965 El Camino Real # 105-535 Carlsbad, CA 92009
( 760) 804-5748
JShaver @ AntBusters. net www. AntBusters. com
Lic. # 493667 C-39 / D-24( 858) 278-7200 ThinkRSI. com
14 | The HOA Board Quarterly | Issue # 3 | Summer 2012 Summer 2012 | Issue # 3 | The HOA Board Quarterly | 15