Do ants eat termites? You might be surprised to learn how many pests eat other pests—including, yes, ants and termites!
Today, we’re talking ants and termites. Do ants eat termites? Can you rely on ants to keep termites at bay?
Keep reading to learn more about this fascinating topic—plus, what you should do if you think you have a termite problem.
Why Do Ants Eat Termites?
Termites and ants are born enemies (though winged ants and termites are often mistaken for each other). When ant and termite colonies encounter each other, they turn hostile toward each other.
Termites eat wood and cellulose-based products (like cardboard). From their underground colonies, they can sneak into homes via mud tubes and devour the home’s wooden foundation, from the inside out.
Ants, on the other hand, are omnivores: they eat everything from plants to—you guessed it—termites! They will eat termites as a source of protein for them and will also attack termite colonies to defend their territory. Ants have been known to raid termite colonies to try to eat the termites inside. Termites use their mud tubes, plus “soldier termites” tasked with defending the colony, to escape predation.
In fact, ants are perhaps the largest predator of termites. (Though ants aren’t the termite’s only predator: other animals that prey on ants include moles and birds!)
Will Ants Get Rid of a Termite Infestation?
Ants are a big threat to termites; however, termites have their own defenses. As we mentioned above, termites use mud tubes to escape ants. The “soldier termites” in a colony are a type of termite that has larger mandibles (like jaws), which they use to kill attacking ants.
Though ants will occasionally wipe out an entire termite colony, they’re not always successful.
Termite colonies can number in the hundreds or even thousands. If just a small percentage of male and female termites survive, they can move on to create a new colony and rebuild their numbers within a few years.
For that reason, you can’t rely on Mother Nature and the circle of life to keep a termite infestation away.
What Should You Do about a Termite Infestation?
If you suspect a termite problem—say, because you notice winged termite swarmers or suspicious damage to the wood in your home—you can’t rely on ants to take care of it.
Ants won’t take care of your termite problem, and neither will DIY solutions like orange oil, vinegar, or boric acid.
What should you do instead? Call the professionals!
The best termite solutions come from professionals, because the pros have the knowledge, experience, and tools needed to deal with this tricky pest. (After all, it’s near impossible for the average homeowner to eliminate a pest infestation that comes from underground and moves inside their walls!)
At ScherZinger, we offer proven termite solutions that eliminate the entire colony—so you don’t have to worry about stray termites coming back to haunt you. Our Sentricon Termite Elimination System is a comprehensive approach that you can trust.
We start with inspection, where our trained and certified technicians perform a thorough evaluation of your property to find termite-infested areas. Once we find the termites, we install and bait the termite stations. The bait is then taken back to the colony by the termites, where it spreads and eliminates the entire colony. But we don’t stop there! We also offer ongoing quarterly inspections to make sure the termites stay gone, to give you continued peace of mind.
Need Help with Termites? Call Us Today
If your home has termite problems, we’re here to help.
Contact Scherzinger Pest Control, a trusted pest control company in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky areas, including Dayton, OH, and now Columbus, OH. We’ve been pioneers, engineering new standards for ways of eliminating and controlling bugs and pests. Contact us by phone at 1-877-748-9888 or through our website, Facebook, or Twitter.