The Amazing Side of Invasive Pets

July 18, 2016

At Safari Termite Pest Control, we spend a lot of time and energy in eliminating pests from Jacksonville homes and yards. Our technicians use various methods, chemicals, and tools to get this important job done. For a change of pace, let's take a moment to look at the more fascinating side of the invasive pests we work to remove. After a bit of searching, we came across AnthillArt.com, a company that uses molten metal (usually aluminum) to create gorgeous casts out of anthills. Here is a great video showing how this team of artists captures a fascinating world.

The fire ants create very intricate tunnel paths, some even resembling Christmas trees. Incredible museum-quality casts can be seen here. Carpenter ants show a more "stem and chamber" design style, typically resembling coral. The most interesting part of their work is seeing the inner workings of animal behavior. All ants instinctively know how to build and maintain colonies. Their structures can grow massive. Until recently, the largest known supercolony was found on the lshikari coast of Hokkaido, Japan. It was estimated that the colony contained 306 million worker ants and one million queens living within interconnected nests (about 45,000 total) over an area of 670 acres.

BBC recently reported on the global spread of Argentine ants, known to create extremely massive colonies. Along the Mediterranean Coast, a single vast colony of Argentine ants was discovered to stretch over 3,700 miles. In California there is another large colony stretching 560 miles along the coast. The most interesting thing about the Argentine ants is that despite where in the world they came from, when bought together they were incredibly social with one another Antennae were rubbed, friends were made and no aggression was observed. Scientists believe that ants from these separated colonies are actually family, all genetically related from common ancestors.

While it can be dangerous to have ants in our homes or yards, and Safari Termite and Pest Control works diligently to remove them, it can be fascinating to learn more about invasive insects, observe their behavior, and enjoy the beautiful structures they build.