Conroe, The Woodlands, and Spring are full of myths and urban legends. But did you know myths have even surfaced regarding ants? That’s right! There is so much misinformation surrounding ants that has spread over time, that we’ve decided to come out with an article dispelling most of them. Some are true, some are half-true, and some are completely untrue! So without further a do… here are 15 myths you did not know about ants! Let’s take a look at the three categories!
Myth #1: Ants are blind.
False . This one is actually false – most ants have multiple eyes on their heads which allow them to see light, dark, and some even have a degree of color vision.
Myth #2: If you kill an ant, it will emit a scent that alerts all nearby ants to come after you.
Mixed . This one is partially true – if an ant dies on its own, then yes it will give off what’s called an Alarm Pheromone that alerts ants of the same colony to come investigate. However, if it dies in a group of other ants and is consumed, then its scent is masked: it won’t emit any pheromones and so won’t trigger an alarm.
Myth #3: Ants can lift many times their body weight.
True . It’s not just an awesome ability for a minute creature, ants are actually able to lift many times their body weight. In fact they can do this because of their exoskeleton: it has structures that create strength in different areas which let the ant be light enough to fly but strong enough to support heavy loads!
Myth #4: Ants will ‘suck your blood’.
Half-true . This myth is half true because ants will eat blood. Many species of ants are actually omnivores (they can eat meat or plant matter) and they will eat animal matter when it’s available to them. However, not all types of ants are predatory – many just gather seeds and vegetation.
Myth #5: Ants will eat until they explode.
Half-true . This myth is half true because ants will actually eat until they can’t anymore, but this usually isn’t to the point of exploding. It only happens in some species if their colony has a really big food bounty and so they can’t put it all away, but usually ants will stop before they can’t eat anymore.
Myth #6: Ants are the cheapest form of life on Earth.
False . This myth is false because even though certain species of ant are dirt-cheap, to keep a healthy colony you need to spend quite a bit of money buying their food or raising it yourself! This means that ant colonies are actually one of the most expensive forms of life on Earth, even if they’re dirt cheap to start out with.
Myth #7: You can eat ants.
Half-true . This myth is half true because, while it’s true you can eat many species of ants (and some people do), there are a lot of species that won’t taste very good. Also, if you don’t preserve them properly then they may give you food poisoning!
Myth #8: Ants will cover themselves in their own fecal matter to protect themselves from predators.
False . This myth is false because ants actually communicate using chemical signals rather than through body language, and this means they don’t have to ‘cover themselves in their own fecal matter’! This myth is actually somewhat of a mistranslation: ants will cover themselves with the waste from their stomachs, which contains some chemicals that protect them from predators.
Myth #9: Ants follow one another and if you disrupt the line they’ll get lost.
False . This myth is false because ants actually do follow one another, but this just means they’re following the chemical trails left by other ants. Disrupting these trails won’t cause them to get lost – instead it’ll just cause them to re-route themselves and find a different way.
Myth #10: Ants will survive for a long time without their heads.
False . This myth is false because ants can’t live if they’re decapitated: they don’t have enough oxygen to keep them going and so will die very quickly. This means that it’s actually correct to say that you could kill your ant by cutting off its head!
Myth #11: Ants will ‘swarm’ if you spray them with water.
False . This myth is false because, although some species of ant do form a ball when their colony gets invaded by a predator, this has nothing to do with being sprayed with water! Instead it’s an attempt to defend themselves from the threat.
Myth #12: Ants have a queen that rules the colony.
False . This myth is false because ant colonies actually have many queens, not just one! A single ant colony can have as many as 3 million different ants living in it at once.
Myth #13: If you leave an apple on the ground for too long, ants will cover it in a blanket of their own saliva.
False . This myth is false because ants don’t produce enough saliva to ‘blanket’ an apple, and even if they did it would be absorbed into the apple’s skin long before you noticed it!
Myth #14: If you leave a soda can on the counter for too long, ants will come out of it.
False . This myth is false because ants need a lot of moisture to survive, and soda doesn’t contain anywhere near enough to support an ant colony. If you leave any kind of drink on the counter for long enough, you’ll probably see a fly or small cockroach instead!
Myth #15: Ants can’t feel pain.
False . This myth is false because ants actually do feel pain, they just don’t need to worry about it in the same way humans do! If you crush an ant (which would probably kill a human) then it’ll react like it’s in pain, but if you keep crushing it more and more with each turn then it won’t react to the pain any further.
If you are dealing with ants and you live in the Conroe, Spring, or The Woodlands areas you should call CPL Pest Control! We promise to dispel of your ant problem and it’s no myth! Give us a call today for your FREE Consultation and Quote! Call 281-683-6737, as always, ask for Chris!
Thanks for reading!
