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What Do Ants Eat?

December 19th, 2008 Posted in Ants & Roaches

There are thousands of species of ants, so there isn’t a general “ant diet.” However, it is helpful to know what ants eat to prevent or control an ant invasion in your home. Most ants, as you will see, eat honeydew, but not the fruit we’re familiar with.

This article will explain what honeydew is, then will discuss what common home-invading worker ants eat broken down per type.

What is honeydew?

Honeydew is a clear, sticky liquid that can be found coating bark, leaves, and debris under the plant. It is also seen on car windshields and lawn furniture, which is unfortunate, since it can be pretty hard to remove.

In both immature and adult stages, plant-sucking insects like aphids, mealybugs, soft scales, whiteflies, leafhoppers, and psyllids, produce honeydew. Ants “milk” honeydew out of aphids, and other insects and sometimes protect them to maintain their food source.

Besides ants, honeydew attracts some birds, wasps, and bees, as well as a black fungus called sooty mold, which grows on honeydew.

Acrobat ants

Acrobat ants get their name from their behavior when disturbed. In defense, they elevate their heart-shaped abdomens, directing them forward toward their thorax like acrobats, then they bite and emit a strong odor. They also have a stinger.

The light brownish-yellow workers are about 1/8″ to 1/4″ long. Their distinguishing feature is their heart-shaped abdomen, which is flat on the top and curved below.

These gymnasts are stinky and nest under damp, rotting wood, like stumps, under boards, or hollow trees. They also live under trash and in windows and door frames.

Diet:

Acrobat ants eat honeydew, nectar, plant sap and meats.

Carpenter ants

Carpenter ants are about 1/4″ to 1″ long and are either black or black and red in color.

Distinct characteristics include digging into wood, which is how they got their name. These guys don’t eat wood, rather they hollow it out so they can nest inside.

Diet:

These guys like sweets, like honeydew, syrup, honey, sugar and jelly. They also eat living and dead insects.

Cornfield ants

Cornfield ants are typically 1/16″ to 1/18″ long and are brown or dark reddish-brown in color.

They nest in moist, rotting wood, like logs and stumps, typically in well-shaded woods. In homes, ants are found in damp crawl spaces as well as in and around bathroom tubs, wall tiles, or in bath traps.

Diet:

Cornfield ants eat dead and live insects, nectar, and honeydew from insects.

Crazy ants

Crazy ants get their name from their rapid, erratic movements. They are about 1/12″ to 1/8″ long and red-brown to gray or black in color.

These ants live in soil and in holes in trees and shrubs. In the fall or after rain, they often invade homes where they nest in wall and floor voids near hot water pipes and heaters.

Diet:

Crazy ants eat honeydew and proteins, like seeds and insects.

Thief ants (also known as grease ants)

Thief ants are yellow to light brown in color and are only about 1/32″ long. They have very small eyes and a small stinger.

Thief ants usually nest close to other species of larger ants from which they steal food and larvae. They live under stones or logs outdoors. Indoors, they nest in voids in walls or foundation.

Diet:

Thief ants, or Grease ants, eat…well…grease. They also like other proteins like meats, seeds, and dead insects. As aforementioned, they steal food and larvae from larger ants, which explains their other name, “thief ants.”

Odorous house ants

Odorous house ants get their name from their rotten coconut-like stench given off by worker ants when crushed. They are dark brown to black in color and about 1/8″ long.

These ants nest in soil under stones, debris and logs. They also nest inside homes in warm, moist wall and floor voids.

Diet:

Odorous house ants eat honeydew and proteins, such as dead insects and meats.

Pavement ants

Pavement ants are 1/8″ long and light brown to black in color with pale legs and antennae.

They live in soil, under stones, and in cracks in concrete slabs and pavement. They sometimes nest in walls, insulation and under floors, often moving near a heat source in winter.

Diet:

Pavement ants swarm on foods. Outdoors they eat insects, honeydew, seeds, and plant sap. In homes or at picnics, they feed on meats, nuts, cheese, honey, bread crumbs, meats, and grease. They also really like pet food.

Pharaoh ants

Pharaoh ants are about 1/16″ to 1/12″ long with pale yellow to red bodies and have black shading on the top and rear portion of their abdomen. Also, these guys have stingers.

Uniquely, pharaoh ant colonies have multiple queens, so colonies can split up into smaller colonies and spread rapidly. Colonies nest in leaf debris on or near structures. In homes, they live in wall voids, cabinets, and food boxes.

Diet:

Pharaoh ants eat sweets and dead insects, but are also known to eat blood plasma and wound dressings.

Small honey ants

Small honey ants, also called false honey ants, get their name because they are so fond of honeydew that they eat enough of it to swell their abdomens up like balloons!

About 1/8″ long, they are shiny and light to dark brown in color with triangular-shaped abdomens.

They are cold weather ants that begin activity above ground at temperatures between 45 to 60°F. Unlike other ants, they are dormant during the midsummer. Small honey ants sometimes nest in homes, some beneath slab foundations, others around heat ducts or in cracks in kitchen counter tops.

Diet:

Small honey ants eat honeydew, nectar, and over-ripened fruit. They also forage indoors and feed on foods like sweet corn, ketchup, cakes, breads, sugar, honey, syrup, soft drinks, watermelon and other fruits.

Try EcoSMART

Now that you know what foods ants are after, you should be able to prevent an infestation. If all else fails, there is an organic solution. EcoSMART Ant and Roach Killer is environmentally-friendly and safe to use around children and pets. Try EcoSMART products to get rid of ants.