Which insects eat ants

Their blood is loaded with toxins that they accumulate from eating large amounts of harvester ants, making their blood distasteful to canines and felines. With nearly global distribution, these snakes are surprisingly hard to find. Blind snakes are some of the smallest vertebrates, and some are no larger than a quarter when coiled up. However, many blind snakes feed almost exclusively on ant and termite larvae. These tiny snakes are mainly fossorial — living entirely underground.

Using scent glands, they follow the scent trails that ants have laid down to track down a nest and eat as many eggs as they can. Despite their tiny size, these snakes can eat an enormous amount of ant eggs and larvae over time. Containing more than species, these toads are found in North America, Asia, and Africa.

While the many different species occupy very different niches across the globe, they all have one feature in common: very narrow mouths! Their mouths are narrow because these toads specialize in eating ants and termites. Their forward-facing eyes help them aim and capture large numbers of ants with ease.

The arthropods including insects, crustaceans, arachnids, and other groups is a massively diverse group of organisms. So, it should be no surprise that many of them feed on the abundance that ants provide. Here are a few of the most voracious ant-predators:.

As their name implies, these insects are hungry for ants. There are about 2, different species, which have a worldwide distribution. Antlion larvae build pits in loose soil and wait for passing ants to fall in.

When the ants fall in, the loose soil is hard to climb and the ants fall right into the massive jaws of the antlion. The antlion will remain buried at the bottom of its pit as it gains size. Ultimately, the antlion undergoes metamorphosis into a very large adult that looks something akin to a dragonfly. Some of these adults also prey on ants and small insects, while others have adapted to feed on the nectar of plants. Some species of Phorid Fly in the genus Phoridae have a very special way of predating ants.

The adult female flies hover above a colony and select a healthy worker ant. Using a sharp ovipositor egg-laying tube , the female lays her eggs directly into the ant at the flexible areas of the exoskeleton around the shoulder.

The infected ant leaves the colony and dies in a sheltered place, where the larvae inside the ant can undergo metamorphosis and hatch into a new, adult fly.

Assassin bugs are very widely distributed, and you have likely seen them around your home. They have a long mouthpiece that they use to inject other insects with venom. The venom digests their insides and they use the long mouthpiece to suck out all the nutrient-rich goop inside. Some species, like Acanthaspis petax seen above , have evolved to prey almost entirely on ants. This species actually covers its body in dead ants, providing a sinister type of camouflage so it can easily invade an ant colony and feed freely.

Jumping spiders and wolf spiders often feed on ants, especially in their smaller life stages. These arachnids are not alone, as most spiders will feed on ants when given the chance. In fact, anywhere there are ants there is likely a species of spider that feeds on these ants. You can encourage spiders by minimizing your use of pesticides and moving spiders outside when you find them in your home. Believe it or not, one of the best predators of ants is — other ants! This is especially true when it comes to some of the more annoying or even dangerous types of ants, like fire ants.

Finding a natural fire ant predator can be a great win for a farmer or a homeowner. IPM, or integrated pest management , is a well-known strategy for dealing with insect pests. This strategy has been used for a long time to treat insect problems in an ecosystem-based manner. It relies heavily on biological control as well as habitat and human behavior modification. Chemical solutions either natural or synthetic are the secondary, rather than primary, line of defense.

Using an IPM strategy for unwelcome ant species such as carpenter ants, fire ants, or any other pest is often worth considering.

There are a lot of animals that eat ants. This list includes mammals, birds, lizards, and other insects, which is more than we can list in a quick article. One of the biggest enemies of ants is other ants. Different ant species and colonies are always in competition with one another. For that reason, they will harass, raid, kill, or even enslave members of nearby colonies.

While it may seem counterproductive to replace one ant colony with another, native ants can replace invasive species and less painful varieties can help drive fire ants out. There are even parasitic ants like the Solenopsis daguerrei. The queens of this species invade the colonies of other ants. Then they sterilize and incapacitate the host queens and take their place in the colony. The workers feed the invading queen and take care of her larvae.

Many people might not be aware of the fact that some spiders eat ants. Most spiders eat a variety of things, including ants, while some spider species only eat ants. Others are in direct competition with ants.

Black widow spiders, jumping spiders, lynx spiders, and several other species hunt and kill ants. While not strictly a predator, phorid flies deserve a spot on this list for their habit of killing fire ants. These are parasites that lay their eggs in the bodies of fire ants.

Their larvae then eat their way out of the ant, decapitating it in the process. Only government agencies can purchase these flies for release. The larval form of antlions, a winged insect, feast almost exclusively on ants, hence the name. The males move from one colony to another mating with other flies. Paussines or ant nest beetles usually live within the nests of their prey — ants.

They have a variety of acoustical, chemical, and morphological adaptations that make them well suited for this lifestyle. Their live habits range from living freely with ants to preying on them.

Ant nest beetles find their way into ant colonies by acting like them. They have a defensive chemical, which they usually release when attacking ants. Over the years, Paussines have diversified rapidly as they respond and adapt to different types of ants.

In doing so, the butterfly makes ants believe the brood are their own. Consequently, the a nts carry it to their nests for care. The larvae mimic both the sounds and scent of the queen ant and because of that, they are accorded royal treatment in the colony.

The larvae are fed effectively by the ants and this makes them grow very fast. These butterflies live in ant nests for up to 11 months.

During this period, they continue to feed on ant grubs. In the end, they kill ants in large quantities and feed on them. These predators use their legs to kick any ant that stands on their way. As they feed on ants, these beetles extract some formic acid from them and use it to defend themselves from their predators.

When threatened, Bombardier beetle sprays the acid into the eyes of the attacker. This butterfly species is found in some parts of the world including South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Like some predators on this list do, the larva of moth butterflies feed on ant larvae.

However, they find their way into ants nest and eat the brood in a different style. Female moth butterflies l ay their eggs mostly in the nests of tree ants.

When their larva comes out, it appears like an oval, flat slug, and has a heavy and hard outer shell. This makes it impossible for soldier ants to either flip it over or bite it. Thus, the larva can freely feed on young ants until it becomes a butterfly. It is astonishing that some species of ants are enemies of other ants. Different colonies and species of ants are in constant rivalry with one another.

As each species tries to outdo the other, some ants enslave, raid, harass, or even kill others. Other than that, some ants eliminate others through their parasitic habits. For instance, the queen of Solenopsis Daguerrei ants does not bother to make her own colony. Instead, she invades other ant nests and incapacitates and sterilizes their queens. They are also known to steal the foods of other ants.

It is shocking that the victim ants do not realize the imposter queen. They continue to take care of the eggs of the parasitic queen. Eventually, when the eggs mature, they carry on with parasitic behavior.

Ants signal danger through chemical warnings. They communicate continually using pheromones and chemicals. This happens either by leaving scent trails on their pathways or touching antennae. When a predator approaches, ants release pheromones that alerts other ants to offer help. In response, they rally to the defense of those in danger. Based on the type of danger or predator, ants respond in different ways including stinging, swarming or using their mandibles to fight.