Wintering for ants? How insects prepare for cold weather

House ants and how to get rid of them is the main topic of this article. This problem often arises with the arrival of warm weather, when the entire plant and animal world wakes up. Uninvited guests and small red pests may appear in an apartment or country house.

Ants live in large colonies, in which up to one million small ants can live. Each colony contains a queen (queen) and many worker ants. The queen lays eggs, from which larvae are formed, and then ants. Its main role is to increase offspring.

Worker ants provide food for the larvae and the queen. They often travel long distances in search of food for their charges. When they find a source of food, they leave a scent trail for other brothers.

Types of ants

There are only three main types of house ants:

• pharaoh ants;
• thief ants;
• turf ants.

Pharaoh ants are the most common type of ant. Their size is only 2 mm, they have a light brown color close to yellow. These ants are not adapted to life in the wild and only live in heated living spaces.

Ants, being of tropical origin, freeze out at low temperatures. When creating a nest, they choose a warm, moist location near a food source. In their nest, several queens and worker ants can live at once, the number of which reaches several thousand. All individuals of the colony work harmoniously, as a single organism. The nests are connected to each other by passages along which worker ants drag food and brood.

Thieving ants settle near the anthills of large ants and feed at their expense, stealing small ones.

larvae, eggs and food. They got their name from thieves' raids. These insects are smaller than pharaoh ants and are light yellow, red or brown in color.

They nest in rotting wood, cabinets, and cracks in walls. Only one queen can exist in one nest of thief ants. The entire colony dies when the queen dies. Very rarely, the place of the deceased queen is taken by one of her daughters. Thief ants do not make nests, and the entire colony is in one place.

Turf ants live under a layer of turf in the ground, in the cracks of panel houses, from where they enter apartments for supplies. They are black or dark red in color. The turf ant is less dangerous because its nests are located outside of human habitation.

At what temperature do ants freeze? How and where do ants hibernate?

Preparing ants for winter is a very labor-intensive process. The main part of the work to prepare the colony for the cold is aimed at storing the required amount of food - seeds, caterpillars, dry plants. In addition, there is a massive feeding of all remaining larvae, as well as checking existing wintering compartments and, if necessary, digging new ones.

REFERENCE! When cold weather sets in, the ants spend it in their own anthill, only moving to the deepest chambers.

This is necessary to ensure that the individuals do not freeze - a constant warm microenvironment is maintained in them all the time.

All main exits from the colony are carefully sealed with clay, earth, and dry plants. However, during thaws, some may be temporarily opened for ventilation.

If the upper part of the anthill gets wet during the winter, a special detachment drags all the supplies into deeper compartments.

What do ants do in winter? Some species of ants sleep in winter, but their organs function at a slower pace. The rest continue to work, but their activity drops significantly. The ant's body can withstand temperatures down to -50 degrees. This is achieved due to the accumulation of large amounts of sugary substances.

REFERENCE! Very often, during cold weather, ants move large numbers of aphids into their anthills in order to continue feeding on their secretions even during winter. But there are not enough insects to last throughout the winter—the aphids die from lack of fresh food.

Ants spend the winter in their anthill, moving into special deep chambers. During this time they do not sleep, but reduce activity to a minimum. The process of preparing for cold weather includes creating reserves, hatching the remaining larvae and creating new compartments for wintering.

Where do ants come from?

Ants can appear in a home completely by accident or settle there for a long time.

Pharaoh ants are found indoors for the following reasons:

1. Neighboring apartments, basements or attics and red ants from large colonies are infected

   scatter to find new habitats for obtaining food and making nests. In multi-storey buildings, a colony of ants builds their nests, scattering across different floors and apartments, platforms and vestibules. Insects often enter living spaces through ventilation shafts and garbage chutes.

2. Red ants can be brought into a room with old furniture, appliances or food.
3. Thief ants usually appear in a house from the basement or from the street. They do not occupy large spaces in colonies and rarely form nests indoors.
4. Forest ants appear in a home by chance in search of food, or they can be brought into the house by a person with things or food, but they are not able to live in the premises and die themselves after a few days.

Ants in a formicarium. Colonization of ants

The formicarium is already there, so it’s time to breathe life into it! We sell starter colonies that travel in incubators. In fact, there is nothing better than an incubator tube for a small colony of ants, because it maintains the ideal set of conditions for a good start. In a test tube, ants feel the same way as in the first initial chamber of their native anthill, if, of course, you provide them with darkness (this is not necessary, but desirable) and peace. In such a simple dwelling, a colony can develop for a long time without relocation, but the problem is that it is difficult to feed ants in a test tube when there are already about twenty of them. After all, the ants are trying to protect their nest from invasion, they run out and don’t let them feed them! Then you need to connect the arena. Fortunately, our farms have the ability to connect incubators directly to the formicarium arena, so you simply insert a test tube into a special hole on the side, and the ants are able to go out for food and take out trash. But these are such suspicious insects that they are constantly expecting an invasion from the outside, so it is very important to make sure that they are not afraid of the fact that the neck of the test tube is constantly open. To do this, a very simple technique is used: small pebbles are placed in the arena near the entrance, sand or coconut substrate is poured. You will be able to see how after a while your cautious pets will begin to build a barricade from the proposed materials in order to narrow the entrance. This is what they do in nature, because a young colony is very vulnerable.

Ant Reproduction

Once a year, winged males and females appear in ant nests. Flying out of the nest, they form a whole cloud. Some ants are fertilized in the air, while the rest are fertilized on the ground.

After fertilization, the males die, and the females get rid of their wings and look for new places to form nests. Only the fertilized young queen provides a home. She finds a convenient place where she will create a new colony and lays several eggs. Her responsibilities include feeding the larvae with the reserves of her body until the first worker ants appear. Then they look for food and feed the queen and larvae, and take care of the nest.

House ants reproduce very quickly. In one year they form a colony of several thousand individuals. Worker ants live only a few months, while females live for about a year. Life expectancy is affected by insect nutrition and air temperature.

Are temperature treatments effective?

Red house ants are active at temperatures of +230C, but still the most comfortable mode for them is +27...320C. In this case, insects actively reproduce, and the process of turning an egg into an adult takes the shortest possible time.

When the temperature drops to +15...180C, the pests remain active, but no longer breed. You can cope with the invasion of these uninvited guests in the house if you know at what temperature house ants die. And this happens when the regime is reduced to +2...50C degrees, but provided that it is maintained for 2 or more days.

Folk remedies for fighting ants

All folk remedies are divided according to their effect on ants into the following types:

Repellents

House ants cannot tolerate strong odors, so various plants and substances with specific aromas are used to repel them:

1. Cinnamon, anise, lemon, mint, cloves, elderberry, wormwood can be placed in places visited by ants;
2. Apply garlic to baseboards and places where ants most often appear;
3. Chamomile is a safe and affordable remedy, the smell of which ants cannot stand. Scatter dry chamomile in places where ants accumulate: in a day or two the place where they are will be empty;
4. Sunflower oil, the smell of which ants do not like. Strips of vegetable oil are made on various surfaces, which prevents insects from appearing there.

Repellents will not destroy ants; their main purpose is to prevent insects from entering the apartment.

Access restrictions

House ants most often appear in places where there is water and food. First of all, you need to ensure that the products are in tightly closed containers.

Wipe the kitchen sink dry with a cloth, or you can apply thin strips of vegetable oil to it.

Always keep the kitchen clean: wash dirty dishes on time, wipe the table, remove crumbs in a timely manner. Not finding food and water, insects will look for other habitats.

Means for killing ants

1. To destroy worker ants, various types of traps based on sweet syrup are used. Sugar, jam, juice, and honey are used to prepare syrup. The bait is placed in

   containers near food or on the table. Insects will drown in the water while feasting on sweets. As they die, containers with syrup should be replaced.

2. The main means of destroying an ant colony is boric acid. It has a detrimental effect on the chitinous cover of ants, corroding it, and the insect dies. Worker ants deliver poison to the anthill on their paws and with food. When making baits, you should not put a lot of boric acid so that the worker ants do not die along the way and can deliver the poison to the nest. After all, only the death of the queen, which does not leave the anthill, can stop the appearance of new offspring.

Bait recipes for killing ants

The problem of fighting domestic ants has long been acute for humanity.

Many different effective folk remedies have been found, proven over the years:

Killing cold

You can open all the windows in the frosty winter and go visit. Ants die quickly from the cold. This way of fighting has its drawbacks.

1. The nest with the queen can be located in the wall near the radiator and then the cold will not reach them.
2. If you turn off the heating, you must drain the water, otherwise it will freeze and burst the pipes.
3. Ants may come from a neighboring apartment. After freezing, they will be out for a maximum of a week.

You can try to freeze the ants, but this method has its drawbacks

Removing pests with cold is possible at the dacha. You need to freeze it well, after washing everything and hiding the food. Then cockroaches, moths, and bedbugs will disappear at the same time.

Chemicals for killing ants

All groups of chemicals according to effectiveness can be arranged in the following order.

Aerosols

Capable of destroying ants in a few hours in one apartment. Only the effect will be temporary, because the queen of the colony will remain alive, and the offspring will be reborn again. It is possible to completely destroy an entire colony when its habitat is known.

The most commonly used aerosols are:

1. Raptor is one of the best aerosols.
2. Get is a reliable tool. An ant running along the treated surface collects particles of poison on its legs, which penetrates the body of the insect.
3. Combat is an effective drug, has a lemon and mint aroma.
4. Raid – inferior in effectiveness to previous drugs.

Gels

Very effective against red ants. Gels can be used to get rid of the nest and uterus without knowing their location. Ants perceive them as delicacies and happily deliver the poisoned substance to the anthill to feed the queen. The content of the poison in the gels is selected so that the worker ant can carry it to the anthill without dying. With the help of gels, ants in an apartment die in 2–8 weeks, depending on the infestation.

1. Global , the gel is the most modern remedy for red ants. Just one drop of this product can destroy about 500 individuals. When buying a gel, you need to be careful, as there are many fakes that are inferior in quality to the original.
2. Fas is in demand and has a good effect.
3. Gel Raptor works reliably and is as effective as a spray.
4. Paste-gel Sturm is an excellent product, but it is rarely on sale.

Pencils and dust

These insecticides are difficult to remove and will take a long time to control. Ants do not eat these products; they die when they get dirty with the poison.

Most often used:

1. Pyrethrum , which contains chamomile flower powder and contains an insecticide.
2. Chalk Mashenka , its manufacturer periodically updates the composition of the product with new insecticides, which allows it to remain a reliable remedy for ants.

Traps

Only some samples are capable of giving a positive result.

The trap contains the usual bait with poison. This is a convenient ant repellent when there are small children or animals in the house.

The most effective traps are Combat Super Attact and Raptor.

Traps containing Velcro and house traps with electric discharges do not have much effect. They do not have any effect on the anthill, so there will be no decrease in insects in the apartment.

Smells for prevention and more

After removing ants, various odors can be used for prevention. Natural herbs that insects do not like:

After removing the ants, fresh plant branches can be laid out near the places where they appear. The disadvantage of this method is that the leaves quickly wither and the smell disappears.

Garlic contains a record amount of essential oils. It can be used to coat baseboards, cracks in the floor and between tiles. The smell will last a long time.

Ants can't stand the smell of garlic

Fresh lemon slices retain their scent longer than herbs. You need to cut the lemon and place the slices in places where arrogant pests are expected to appear.

Geranium can be grown on a window. It blooms beautifully, its smell calms the nervous system. The flower is among the record holders for purifying the air, especially from tobacco smoke. The leaves can be plucked periodically and coated with the exits from ant holes. The disadvantage of removing insects with herbs is that they must be constantly replaced with fresh ones and the ants gradually become accustomed to one smell. Plants need to be changed.

Essential oils retain their scent for a long time. It is enough to drop mint, lemon oil, garlic extract into the hole, the ants will not walk through that tunnel for a long time.

The pungent smell of essential oils will help get rid of insects

In nature, there is a smell that causes panic in ants. This is formic acid. It can be bought at a pharmacy, synthesized artificially. The substance got its name because it is secreted by ants. Insects transmit many signals to each other, producing different enzymes. Some mark the path. The smell covers the path to food and water with a thin stripe. Formic acid means danger, a warning to other relatives that they cannot come here, there is death here. For human babies, these are the sour asses of ants. Once in the hands of people, they suddenly begin to produce it. Effective rubbing for adults.

If you buy a bottle of formic acid, the smell of which a person cannot smell, then just apply it to cotton pads and place it along the baseboards, not a single ant will crawl into the apartment. The leftovers can be placed in a cabinet in the kitchen, just do not close it tightly. Let the smell dissipate a little. For a couple of years or more, the apartment is protected from visiting ants.

Ultrasonic ant repellers

An ultrasonic repeller is an electronic device that produces electromagnetic waves with ultrasound. The constant change in frequencies causes unpleasant sensations in the ants, so they try to leave the room.

The device is presented in the form of a plastic box with sensors and a switch. Repellers are produced: stationary, mains-powered, mobile, battery-powered, and combined, which can be mains-powered or battery-powered.

The principle of operation of the repeller is very simple. When connected to the electrical network, it emits electromagnetic signals that the human ear cannot detect, but insects do not tolerate them and leave the house.

Ultrasonic repellers are good because they are safe for humans and animals.

Advantages of using ultrasonic repellers

Compared to chemical ant control agents, ultrasonic repellers have several advantages:

Having such advantages, the ultrasonic repeller is in demand among consumers and is effectively used in various residential areas.

Behavior and instincts: why ants are so difficult to get rid of

The best way to stop a house ant infestation is to keep them out of your home. If suitable conditions for their habitat are created inside the building, many nesting colonies will appear. Insects can only be destroyed by disinfectants. But even this method will require time, patience, and conscientious prevention on the part of the client.

House ants can be found anywhere. They are nocturnal, although this is not as clearly noticeable as in the case of cockroaches. They communicate with each other by emitting pheromones that warn others of danger or where food is located. For this purpose, ants mark trails with these substances.

Nests and tracks: "diffuse" colony or "isolated" nests

Ants' nests are well hidden and they can feed far from where they live. These insects move to the nearest feeding point along paths marked with pheromones. In such a situation, sooner or later “diffuse nests” form, when the colony spreads throughout the building, spreading a network of several families in various hard-to-reach places. At the same time, they support each other’s existence: in each nest there are several egg-laying females, when conditions in one of them worsen, the ants migrate to neighboring ones or form new ones. With diffuse distribution, the ants, along with the queen, hide outside the apartment, in interfloor ceilings, garbage chutes, or other inaccessible areas of the common area.

However, another option is possible. Ants can be inside one room as part of a complete colony, in one isolated nest. It can be located in recessed areas - wall voids, under appliances, in sockets, under carpets, even behind false coverings such as radiator screens. If the size of the colony changes sharply (for example, the ants are repelled by a chemical) or the colony becomes too large, they move, starting to actively spread throughout neighboring rooms and over time turn into a “diffuse” colony.

Compared to other household pests, ants' behavior is developed on an intuitive level. Their natural instincts steer them away from threats, and colonies “disappear” only to re-establish themselves in a safe place and carve out places for new settlements.

The queen has an instinct in case of danger (hunger, cold, insecticides) to leave the nest, take with her adult workers (“foragers”), larvae and eggs, and create a new colony in another, safest place. This ability can cause the number of nests to rapidly multiply in a very short time.

The natural instincts of ants are unconscious, but they work flawlessly:

• when they detect a repulsive odor, they communicate this to other individuals.
• if there is a toxic substance on the surface, they will dissipate before they can be poisoned.

It is very difficult to fight pharaoh ants, since disinfestation must cover all areas of the building without exception . Selective treatments destroy one colony and create two or three new ones in its place.

To combat insects, it is better to use baits mixed with slow-acting poisons, which they will most likely bring to the nests so that everyone can try them and get poisoned.

Why are ants dangerous?

Red ants create a nuisance: they appear in the kitchen, crawl on dishes, and get into food. After being in the trash can or cat litter box, they crawl into the sugar bowl or bread bin.

Red ants become carriers of pathogenic microbes. The larger the number of colonies, the more harm insects can cause to apartment residents.

Ants look for places in the apartment where they carry all the impurities from their nests.

There is an opinion that red ants bite, but this is a myth. House ants cannot bite due to underdeveloped jaws. Only a forest ant that accidentally appears in the room can bite.

House ants do not cause much harm to humans, but their proximity to people is extremely unpleasant. When ants first appear in an apartment, you must immediately take appropriate measures to combat them.

Structure and biology

If an apartment is infested with ants, then the culprit is usually the red house ant, better known as the pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis L.). Pharaohs are often called “sugar pharaohs” or “pet pharaohs.” These ants are very small; among all synanthropic insects they are one of the smallest all-pervasive species: working individuals are only 1.5-2 mm long (the queen is 4-6 mm, the males are 2-3 mm). The main difference between ants and other insects is that the head and thorax are densely punctured, and the abdomen is connected to the metathorax by a thin stalk. The structure is also distinguished by the presence of a gnawing mouthpart.

Red pharaoh ants come in a wide range of colors, from light yellow and brown to reddish brown or brown that can appear almost black. Their abdomen is always darker and looks almost translucent.

Wings (2 pairs) are present only during the swarming period in some females and males. Workers - the ones you see crawling around in the kitchen or bathroom - are wingless and sterile. Their job is to collect food.

Pharaoh ants are heat-loving, but they do well in buildings all year round if there is heating. But, it is not true that it is cold in winter and you will not find this type of ant in your home or office.

They are very prolific, divided into numerous families, and quickly recover losses. Due to their small size, they can go undetected until a full-blown infestation problem arises. All this makes eliminating ants in apartment buildings a costly and complex undertaking.

Other types

In cottage buildings, on the verandas and terraces of country houses, in greenhouses, greenhouses, under the foundations and formwork of buildings, the black garden ant - Lasius niger (L.) (subfamily Formicinae) is found.

Tourism and trade with countries with tropical and subtropical climates have caused the introduction of species not typical for the fauna of Russia, for example, Lasius alienus (Forster), Tapinoma melanocephalum (F.), Linepithema humile (Mayr) and Hypoponera eduardi (Forel). These species are rare, but if they colonize a warm room, they form permanent populations.

Repellent Products

Chemicals provide a more effective effect in the fight against insects, but they should be used very, very carefully.

Petrol

• Add ½ cup of gasoline to a bucket of warm water and fill the anthill and ant paths with this solution.
• Plus, you can soak a rag in gasoline and place it in places where insects accumulate, but this should only be done either in an open area of ​​the garden or in a non-residential area.
• Let the impregnation stay in the house for 1-3 days, and then just ventilate the room.

Kerosene

• It is enough to add half a glass of kerosene to a glass of sweet water.
• This sweet and at the same time poisonous solution will serve as a trap and poison for the insect.
• Or, just like with gasoline, it is dissolved in water and watered over the anthill.

Repellers and traps

Insects cannot tolerate ultrasound. Short waves that cannot be heard by humans repel insects at a certain distance from themselves. You can buy such a repeller, plug in the device and forget about the ants.

Unfortunately, ultrasound has a negative effect on children and some pets. Ultrasound waves can change a person’s natural frequency and worsen his physical condition.

DIY ant trap

Traps are placed where ants emerge from their burrows. The cardboard is smeared with glue that does not dry out for a long time or double-sided tape is applied. Jam or honey is dripped in the center. The ants will try to feed and get stuck. Gradually, you can exterminate all the working insects, the rest in the hole will die of hunger. Only it will take a long time to set traps, depending on the size of the colony, 1 - 4 months.

How do ants prepare for winter?

It turns out that not all ants sleep: even in the cold season, some families live a normal life. Of course, they are deprived of the opportunity to go outside and are less active than in summer, but they do not hibernate, continuing to build tunnels, feed the queen (queen), and sometimes grow mushrooms and care for “domestic animals.” In very cold regions, where the soil freezes to a great depth, ants still spend most of the winter in a sleepy state. But how do ants that don’t have to sleep prepare for winter?

To provide the colony with food for the entire cold season and to successfully overwinter, the little workers work throughout the warm season. They catch a huge number of caterpillars, bedbugs, beetles and other insects that are pests of garden crops. Part of the catch is used to feed the larvae, but the rest is stored in special chambers. The supplies may include seeds, killed insects, and plant fruits.

Some worker ants constantly expand the dome of their home. Red forest ants are especially distinguished by this: their “heaps” can reach more than 1 m in diameter and a height of about 50 cm. Inside the dome there are both living chambers and storage areas. The loose material serves as excellent protection from the cold for underground rooms where insects go for the winter.

In an effort to protect the wintering larvae, they are transferred to the most protected chambers, where the temperature does not fall below critical. Young animals need protein nutrition: this is why ants drag a variety of insects into their home. The uterus is also intensively supplied with protein feeds: from this, it begins to lay a special type of eggs - trophic (nutritional). Larvae cannot hatch from them, but the eggs themselves serve as food for the queen in winter.

With the onset of cold weather, all entrances to the anthill are closed. It is difficult for an outside observer to determine whether its inhabitants are sleeping or not.

What don't ants like?

Ants are not distinguished by good eyesight and hearing, but they have an excellent sense of smell, they cannot tolerate a number of strong odors, but in addition to this, they can be influenced by toxic drugs, as well as external factors, cold or ultrasound.

These insects cannot tolerate the smell of strong-smelling plants, so this environmentally friendly and, most importantly, aromatic product can be used in your own home.

Fresh or dried wormwood or tansy, mint or lemon balm, and other aromatic plants - all this can be used in the fight against ants.

Potato

• To combat ants, you can use both potato tops and potato peelings.
• The thing is that green mass and fruits contain toxic substances, as well as starch.
• It is by eating them that the ants die.

Lavender and marigolds

• Lavender repels ants with a pungent aroma that insects simply cannot tolerate.
• It is enough to cut the inflorescences themselves and place them fresh or dried around the house or garden.
• Marigolds repel ants due to special essential compounds contained in the root system, which disinfect the soil, driving away insects.

Mint and lemon balm

• Mint, like lemon balm, repels ants from the house and garden with its smell; for humans it is pleasant, but for insects it is a real flying poison.
• You can scatter the dried plant around the site or in the house, but as an option, plant it in a flowerpot and place it on the windowsill, or on the site, in places where they are most concentrated.

Dill and parsley

• Like mint and lemon balm, parsley and dill release ethereal compounds into the air, aromas that ants cannot stand.
• They can also be scattered or planted dried/fresh in areas where insects are most concentrated.

Reasons for the appearance of ants in the apartment

The appearance of small pests in a person’s home brings with it discomfort for household members. Ants are happy to settle in a person’s home. The premises contain the conditions necessary for optimal reproduction of colonies: availability of water, food, heat.

Ants enter human housing through ventilation ducts, pipes, cracks in walls, holes in masonry, from basements and through cracks in windows. In addition, ants can get into a room on a person’s clothes, shoes, on food, or from neighbors. if you live in an apartment building.

Before moving into a particular room, several scout ants inspect the new territory. Suitable premises can be occupied in a short time. If a queen ant is accidentally brought into the house, the colony will find her in any case and settlement will inevitably take place.

Traditional methods

In addition to garlic, other means were used to combat the infestation of the apartment with ants. For example, they poured black and red ground pepper near the holes. This way you can gradually destroy the whole family. Small pepper particles stick to the paws. Then into insect food. When it gets into water, its bitterness, burning, and warming effect are activated. The entire nest gradually dies out, even those located deep in the wall and under the floor.

Boric acid is mixed with a boiled egg and boiled potatoes. First, the products are pounded well, then a little honey or sugar is added and all the ingredients are mixed. Roll the resulting mass into balls smaller than a pea. The worker ant should be able to freely pick it up and drag it into the nest.

Boric acid, once in an insect, corrodes it from the inside. Since the ant is able to pick up the ball, it will bring it to the nest, to the residents of the family who do not go outside. It will begin to chew the big one and die before it reaches the nest. It is enough to periodically change the poison for 4–6 weeks with fresh one, and there will be no ants in the house for a long time.

If you mix jam with yeast, pour it onto a cardboard and place it on the path, then the insects will not go further, they will drink, fill their tanks and run back. Once in the ant's stomach, the yeast begins to ferment and release a lot of gas. As a result, the insects simply burst apart like air-filled balloons.

Ants constantly climb through garbage dumps, bringing bacteria and fungus into the apartment. They can become the culprits of disease in humans and animals. In large crowds, bite children. By removing ants, you will protect your home from diseases, dirt, and unpleasant neighborhoods. After all, sneaky people get into food, and it’s unpleasant to finish eating after them.

House ants and how to get rid of them is the main topic of this article. This problem often arises with the arrival of warm weather, when the entire plant and animal world wakes up. Uninvited guests and small red pests may appear in an apartment or country house.

Ants live in large colonies, in which up to one million small ants can live. Each colony contains a queen (queen) and many worker ants. The queen lays eggs, from which larvae are formed, and then ants. Its main role is to increase offspring.

Worker ants provide food for the larvae and the queen. They often travel long distances in search of food for their charges. When they find a source of food, they leave a scent trail for other brothers.

Duration of wintering and when does it end?

The time when ants go into hibernation depends on the climate of the area where they live. The warmer the climate, the later the cold weather sets in and, accordingly, the later the insects close the exit from the house.

For example, wintering for polar ants lasts 8-9 months, while for their fellow tribesmen living in warmer regions of Russia, winter lasts about 2-3 months. Ants from the southern regions may not go to sleep at all and may not go to winter.

But even there, tough times happen. In this case, the ants anticipate very cold winters and begin to prepare for them in advance - they collect seeds and other food, dig new tunnels, and feed the larvae.

The first signs of spring - melting snow and rising temperatures - do not go unnoticed by insects. Scout ants open a small part of the entrances to let heat into the house and warm up the chambers and passages. Often, part of the upper tunnels are flooded by meltwater. Moreover, sometimes scout ants discover new residents in the dome - other insects that hid there before the onset of cold weather.