We’ve often talked about the differences between ants and termites, from the makeup of their colonies to the appearance of their swarmers. Let’s say that you have both species in your home. That would be really bad news especially if the ants were part of the carpenter species. However, while the shock of finding out that you have not one but two major pest infestations may be quite rough, you can at least sit back and enjoy the show between these two species, while you wait for your pest control specialist to arrive. Why, you may ask? Because ants and termites are mortal enemies that routinely engage in all out war.
The termite vs. ant war
At a first glance, termites seem to have the advantage. They are, after all, much bigger than ants, about two to three times as large, if not more. The warrior caste within a termite colony also has a head that has been designed for battle. However, when the fighting breaks out, things start to look a little differently.
When ants attack termites, it’s actually not even close. The termites are almost always completely destroyed. Despite their smaller weight and size, ants are more aggressive than termites, and they are able to field a higher number of fighters. They will invade a termite nest and immediately kill the warriors, followed by an attack on the queen. Once they are in the nesting chamber, they will drag the queen outside, and the death of the entire colony comes shortly after. In fact, ants are so proficient at battling termites that they have become their natural predators, hunting down termites for food.
So you might be wondering, are termite warriors really that useless? Well, the large termite head is actually an evolutionary adaptation that is designed to physically get in the way of the ant onslaught. Even so, it does not help much when the fighting breaks out.
Can you use ants to get rid of termites?
While using one pest species to get rid of another is fairly common in agriculture, it is not really feasible inside of the home. If you have both a termite and an ant infestation, you might have to wait a very long time until they wipe each other out. Your best course of action in this situation is to call over a pest control specialist. Contact us today and we can help you get rid of any pest infestation that you have inside your home.
