Quite often, without realizing it, we encounter a creature whose muscle mass exceeds that of our own and whose muscles are so efficient that they can lift up to 50 times more than their bodies' mass. This tiny beast's global population has a biomass equal to that of humans, yet we can easily miss seeing this incredible animal while it's right under our feet. With over 12,000 species globally, ants are extremely successful insects. They are found in their many forms across most of the planet (except Antarctica), and scientists estimate that there may be as many as 10,000 more that remain undiscovered. They first appeared during the Jurassic Period, between 140-168 million years ago, and since then have become one of the most dominant insects on Earth.

Ants can be a huge annoyance wherever they appear. These highly social crawlers live

in colonies. They are born into highly specialized roles, called castes, and more than likely wouldn't survive on their own. The many acting as one deems them a superorganism. 

Colonies have a queen whose sole purpose is to lay eggs. Once hatched, the larvae are separated into workers, males, or other queens. The males' job is to impregnate the queen, and he dies a short time after. The workers are females, most of who remain and complete jobs like building onto the nest and tending the young, others forage for food. The foragers leave chemicals used to communicate in place of hearing and sound to mark new food sources, and leave warnings of predators and other important information to the rest of the colony. 

One species that causes property damage estimated in the billions of dollars is the Carpenter Ant. These (literally) huge pests are the largest ant species in North America and can cause serious, even catastrophic, damage to the structural foundations of buildings.

Their jaws are powerful enough to carve holes in solid, undamaged wood and tear through moist wood even faster. They can hollow out support beams to the point of collapsing. Unlike termites, wood is not their choice for food; rather, the spaces they create are for egg-laying. 

One of the most common sites in Indiana is the Pavement Ant. They got their nickname because they are often seen in a large mass on the pavement. This gathering is usually the battle for supremacy between two colonies. They can be found nesting under foundations and then heading inside searching for food. If there is a silver lining to their presence, they prey on the eastern subterranean termite. Regardless of the type, the tiny creature can carry pathogens that make us sick, like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria.

Northeast Indiana has its fair share of this pest getting into homes. Luckily for residents of this region, there are experts nearby ready to help fix the problem. If you've got ants, mosquitoes, termites, or other pests, contact Fortified Pest Control. We can get rid of those annoying intruders and beef up your home's defenses against further infestations. Contact us to inquire about our services or for an estimate.