Most commonly, ants appear in summer in higher than the average number, making it difficult to get control over the population moving in every corner of the house.
Why Do Ants Get Bigger in the Summer? Ants get bigger in summer due to increased colony population and energy as they remain active during warm weather. Moreover, they need more food and water to overcome hunger and dehydration after getting out of hibernation. Therefore, they build new nests and expose themselves to mild sunlight. Furthermore, summer ants usually come out of their nest during warm weather and hide in the cold.
Ants are cold-blooded creatures that can only survive in mild weather, and the hot season is prime time for household pests to get out of their mounds and invade their surroundings.
What makes ants get bigger in summer?
Ants are getting bigger means their number increases in outdoor areas, and you can see more than the usual number of these insects in your house and garden.
The summer season is favorable for ectothermic insects, but they avoid excessive heat and high temperatures and move to humid and shady areas.
Increase in colony size
Summer is an ideal time of the year for ants to reproduce and raise their population. In addition, they need warmth to leave their nests and go for a nuptial flight.
It is challenging to fly higher in the air when the weather is not favorable, as these cold-blooded insects cannot tolerate low or high temperatures.
In the same way, queen ants do not fertilize their eggs at low temperatures to avoid competition for resources because colony members rely only on stored food.
Mild weather motivates these tiny creatures to fertilize their eggs and increase their population. Accordingly, you can see a large number of these crawling creatures at your residence.
Increased energy
Ants enter the hibernation stage during cold weather and become less active. These insects do not perform heavy-duty tasks or hectic activities during hibernation due to excessive energy use.
They have a risk of freezing and death when the temperature gets below an ideal level. Accordingly, summer ants hide inside mounds or narrow spaces and disappear.
They have to store energy from food because they cannot go out of their mounds to collect food. However, you can find them more active during warm weather as they get a chance to navigate.
You can see them contaminating food, reaching inside the bathroom, or crawling over potted plants.
They seem to get a new life after a few weeks of hibernation and begin exploring the environment.
Collection and storage of food
You can see a swarm of these insects that is bigger than that seen during winter because summer ants come out to get nutrition and fulfill their diet requirements.
These insects can be starving for food when the stored food ends or the winter season extends for a few days or weeks.
Moreover, they begin to run toward a food source when the temperature increases. A few chunks of rotten fruit can entice their sensory receptors.
The presence of food crumbs on the floor and the aroma of cooked vegetables can bring them inside the kitchen.
You can see a few of these crawling insects getting bigger when these foragers give a call to other colony members to reach a reliable food source.
Furthermore, it is the right time to overcome the nutritional deficiencies of their bodies and collect or store food for the next winter season.
Overcome dehydration
Summer ants feel dehydrated during hot weather because water evaporates from their exoskeletons when the hot rays of the sun directly fall on their bodies.
They need more water than usual in summer to overcome dehydration; that’s why you will see these insects beyond the average number seen at extreme temperatures.
Moreover, they will carry water back to their nest in addition to drinking enough water. Therefore, it is more likely to see long trails of these insects inside the bathroom.
In addition, the kitchen sinks are also considered a suitable spot for them because it remains wet and filled with dirty dishes for most of the time, providing enough moisture and food.
Construction of nests
Ants hide within a layer of soil and form tunnels deep into the ground to avoid exposure to cold air. After returning to the floor, they need a new shelter and nest.
All adult colony members will begin to work together and construct a new nest because they need a spot to keep their eggs, sleep, and store food.
It is a highly tedious task requiring the participation of the whole colony of these insects, resulting in a large number of these insects on the ground.
In addition, they can also invade indoor areas in search of a safe spot to build their nests and move inside narrow spaces within walls or hidden and rarely used areas of the house.
More sunlight
A swarm of ants appears on the sidewalks, driveways, gardens, and other exposed house areas where sunlight can directly reach the surface.
Moreover, these insects wait for warm weather to get out of the freezing temperature in their surroundings. So, you can see a heavy infestation during the warm season, searching for heat.
They prefer to emerge in the early summer when the weather is not too hot for these insects, as scorching sun rays can burn their skeletons.
In addition, direct exposure to sun rays can deprive them of moisture leading to death. Therefore, they chose to sunbathe in early summer and in shady areas during extremely hot days.
What type of ants get bigger in summer?
Two different categories of ants are present in the world, having different requirements, as some like hot weather while a few are interested in the cold.
Most species are known as summer ants that usually remain active at mild temperatures and keep themselves restricted to underground tunnels during winter.
Ants getting bigger in hot weather are the ones that are commonly present inside the house, like pavement and little black garden ants, in addition to house odorous ants.
Moreover, the red imported fire ants are also included in the category of insects preferring hot weather and are primarily seen in mild months of the year.
However, a few other species of these insects, like carpenter ants, do not bother low temperatures and keep moving above the ground during winter.
How do you get rid of bigger ants in the summer?
It is essential to get rid of bigger ants appearing in warm weather to avoid heavy indoor infestation, food contamination, and infection risk.
You can use natural repelling chemicals or ingredients from your kitchen to keep these annoying creatures away from you.
Ants do not like the smell of peppermint, cinnamon, black and red pepper, and vinegar that can be used as effective repellents.
In addition, you can also get prepared for dealing with infestations before the arrival of summer by spraying killing chemicals all around your house with the help of exterminators.
Furthermore, you can make your home unattractive by keeping the floor dry, covering the food, and storing it inside tight containers to avoid the attack of big ants.
Related Articles:
