Black Ants
Ants
belong to Family Fromicidae within Order Hymenoptera - the group of insects
that includes ants, bees, wasps, sawflies and wood wasps. In Australia,
about 3000 species of ants are known.
Ants are social insects that live in more or less permanent nests. Colony sizes vary enormously and are mostly located in soil, wood and among rocks. In relation to their feeding habits, ants may be predators, perhaps with specific prey (eg; termites), or scavengers, which again may have a specific diet (eg; the honeydew or sugary excretions of plant sucking bugs) or a general one. The latter types may be almost omnivorous; that is, ants for which almost any type of food is acceptable. Being very common intruders in and around buildings, ants tend to be very familiar insects. They are commonly observed around foundations and in walls, roof voids, kitchens, lawns and gardens, the wood of decaying trees, and rockeries. As a group, ants are considered by many to be the most successful of all insects.