Ants exist everywhere on Earth with the exception of Antarctica. That means that they have untold opportunities to spoil picnics and invade homes. But, while most humans would look at them as pests, there are lots of good things that ants of all kinds do not just for humans but for other animals as well as the environment. You can learn more fascinating facts about ants, the benefits of having them in the environment and also the damage they can cause by visiting www.killingcarpenterants.com. There are about 22,000 different species of ants. Yet, only 12,500 have been properly named and given classification. There are many more ant species waiting to be discovered. These insects have evolved over the course of 99 million years from the wasp family to whom they are still related.
Lots of respect should be given to ants of all kinds. They are keen problem solvers, they work well together in colonies doing their respective jobs and they adapt to whatever circumstances are around them. Humans can take many lessons from ants and some studies have been done where ants are closely monitored for a better understanding of the things that might help human society improve upon itself. Ants help humans and the environment in several important ways. They turn the soil of the earth to help facilitated decomposition, they help rainwater circulate through the Earths soil and they help rid the areas they live in from other pests that can do serious damage to gardens and crops. Ants also help harvest seeds which means that they help plants in the wild survive and thrive. They do this through the ordinary work they do every day which is to carry off food to their colonys nests. As they do, they work through soil helping to disperse seeds so that they can germinate. They also store some seeds in their nests which are always full of nutrients to help the plants grow.
Ants might sometimes be pests themselves, but much of the time they feed on the eggs for flies, bed bugs, fleas, silverfish and one of the biggest pests of all time, cockroaches. Some people use ant colonies to protect their yards of pests like these. They breed them to flourish around the yards perimeter. Another benefit to humans and the environment is when they feed on dead animals and other insects. By doing this, they help keep the surrounding environment free of various diseases and debris. When carpenter ants feed on decomposing wood, they leave behind the perfect places for fungi and bacteria to grow to finish the job by breaking down the cellulose in that wood. Ants sometimes get a bad reputation because when they do infiltrate homes, buildings or crops and gardens, they can do damage in the course of just living out their ant lives. Carpenter ants can destroy wooden homes which is not good for anyone living there! Most of the time ants do humans and the planet itself lots of favors. They help keep the ecosystem in balance, and this benefits humans as well as all other forms of life including plants and other animals.
