#ant nests

[briery]

Leafcutter ant nests in South America, excavated by Luiz Forti and colleagues.

[homepropertyservices1]

7 Clear Signs of an Odorous House Ant Infestation to Watch For

If you want to spot odorous house ants early, watch for tiny dark gray or brown ants about two to three millimeters long moving in organized trails, which are scent-marked paths leading to food sources like sugary spills or greasy crumbs. These ants give off a strong rotten coconut odor when crushed, a unique sign that helps differentiate them from other pest ants. They nest in multiple hidden, moist spots like behind baseboards, inside wall voids near leaking pipes, under floors, and near plumbing, showing polydomous behavior that makes control tricky. Scout ants are always on the lookout for food and leave chemical trails that other ants follow, and you can temporarily disrupt these trails with vinegar or lemon juice. They squeeze through tiny cracks in windowsills, door frames, and areas where tree branches touch your home, so sealing these entry points is key. Activity spikes in spring and summer when ants are more aggressive in searching for food and water inside your house. Winged swarms sometimes appear and can be mistaken for termites, but the rotten coconut smell and smaller size help you tell them apart. These ants are attracted to sugary, protein-rich, and greasy food sources, plus moisture from leaks or condensation, which is why keeping food sealed and fixing plumbing issues is important. Since odorous house ants relocate nests frequently and have multiple queens, professional pest control with targeted baiting and nest treatments is often necessary to fully eliminate them.

[alphabetsoup-blogposts]

Myth, busted: Formation of Namibia’s fairy circles isn’t due to termites — Ars Technica

Plants are "ecosystem engineers" that survive by forming optimal geometric patterns.

It's akin to injecting a drop of black ink into a beaker of water. Normally this would stabilize a system: the water would gradually turn a uniform gray. But if the inhibitor diffuses at a faster rate than the activator, the process is destabilized. That mechanism will produce a Turing pattern: spots, stripes, or, when applied to an ecological system, clusters of ant nests or fairy circles.

[cpcspgh-blog]

Common Locations for Ant Nests

We witness ants at work virtually every day, but never pay much attention to where they come from. All ants live in colonies of nests, complicated systems of tunnels or rooms that house millions of ants. Each colony includes the Queen, who is responsible for laying all the eggs to grow the colony; female worker ants, who provide food for the Queen; soldier ants, who protect the Queen from outside enemies; and male ants, who mate with the Queen.

http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-hints-tips/insect-control/common-locations-for-ant-nests.htm

[preqvelle]

My leg has never itched so Much, purely because Im stupid and I accidently stood on an ANTS nest.. now its all red and blotchy! Pesky little thing's