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Many thousands of species of ant have been
catalogued, although only a few of these are sometimes classified as pests when their
activities bring tem into contact with man:
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The Black Ant - Lassius niger
Image Copyright - Aventis
Environmental Science 1964. Reproduced with kind permission of Aventis Environmental
Science. |
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Class: |
Insecta |
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Order: |
Hymenoptera |
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Family: |
Formicidae |
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Closely related to bees and wasps,
ants are social insects with complex behaviour. Reproductives are characterised by
their membranous wings. |
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Generally, ants are found in colonies, where
highly complex social behaviour allows the group of insects to succeed in situations where
an individual would not. Caste systems have evolved in many species, with
specialised members suited to particular tasks, such as foraging or defence. |
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Control strategies will vary for different
species of ant, however, due to the social behaviour of ants, fast acting and residual
treatment should be avoided. Best chances of success are achieved with slow acting
baits which may be transferred to the reproductives by foraging workers. |
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