Ant Swarming
Encyclopedia Article
We have many different species of ants in Iowa that live in different habitats and eat different foods. Only a small percentage of ants are what we would categorize as pest ants (meaning that they come into house occasionally for food or shelter). Some ants make colonies in the soil, and of these some prefer out in the middle of a lawn and others like to be under a rock or other object. Some ant species will form colonies in rotting wood. Many species are not terribly picky about where they set up home sweet home. Some species of ants, such as carpenter ants, are meat eaters.