Australia is the Land of Ants
Ants play a major role in the natural order of the environment, which is very cool indeed. What’s not so great is when they decide that they want to be rewarded for their work by sharing their home with you. Residents of Sippy Down on the Sunshine Coast, as well as most other regions in Australia, have a love/hate relationship with ants. Once they get indoors, things can start to become really problematic, which is why ant removal and general pest control should always be on your speed dial at home. You don’t want these little guys to get too comfortable in your abode.
Australia is a country where ants very much thriving, with thousands of know species, as well as countless unknown, making their home there. Given that large number of species, it perhaps came as a surprise to many to learn that the Australian government allocated close to $30 million in 2019/20 to combat three types of ants. In the grand scheme of things, you might not imagine that three little species could do a lot of harm, but the fact is that they can and will if they are left unchecked and allowed to go about their business.
While we already mentioned that a large number of ants is usually viewed as a sign that things are sound on an environmental front, there are some species that can tip the balance in the wrong direction. The three species that are being targeted with all that government money are the red fire ant, the crazy yellow ant, and the Argentine ant, with the money being used to specifically target that latter species in Norfolk Island. The Argentine ant has basically blanketed the entire country and made their home, so it’s more about containment than anything else with that species.
The species mentioned are what as referred to as invasive ants, which means that they can do irreparable damage to plant life, crops, and livestock. The thing that most people may not be aware of when it comes to the spread of these invasive ants is that they very often get some help from humans. The simple act of moving potted plants or baled straw can lead to a colony finding a new home to set up in. These are common mistakes, albeit unwitting ones, but they tend to make the ant situation that much worse.
You don’t need to have a colony of these invasive ants in your home to have an issue, though, as any of the different species can pose problems once they set up shop in your house. If you are having issues with ants, you need to call in the pest control professionals, as that is the only way to have them fully removed and reduce the risk of their returning. Even if you don’t have an issue, taking preventative measures can help ensure that you won’t ever see these industrious pests in your home.
