For more information, read the full article or watch the video. Share this:. She is the principle editor and writer of Insights and leads social media and direct marketing strategy. Kelley has worked at Mayo Clinic since Stink Bugs. Carpenter Bees. Carpenter Ants. One of the most common pests that homeowners have to battle is ants. As you may know, there are several types of ants that create colonies and make their presence known within kitchens, bathrooms, and outdoors on your sidewalk, driveway, and yard.
While many people can live with ants and accept their presence as long as they are not near a food source , once they begin invading pantries and crawling on food, ants become a real concern.
This begs the question: Can I eat food touched by ants? The five-second rule should not even be considered if ants have touched your food. Sharing a snack with ants can have unexpected consequences no matter how innocent the act can sound. Most ants create colonies where they can thrive which means they are constantly in search of a food source for survival, which can lead them into your home.
A kitchen is a perfect area for ants to infest with the potential for crumbs, dog food left in bowls, penetrable food packaging, and food such as fruit left out on tables and counter tops. No one wants to find pests in their home, but it can happen to virtually any homeowner. Ants typically live outside, sending scout ants away from the colony to search for food.
These explorers are usually the ants that you find in your drain, on the floor, and around food items. Human food is also appealing to ants. Once the scout finds a food source, they signal other ants to follow his trail and continue to take food and bring it back to the colony.
The number of ants following this same trail grows as their food source remains available. What kinds of ants are in my house? Photo Credit: www. Pavement ants are small, black or brown ants that create small hills of dirt or sand in the areas between slabs in the sidewalk or your driveway.
These ants are relatively harmless but can make their way into your home if they find an easy entry point. Pavement ants do not cause structural damage, but some clients do not like their presence on their property. Why do ants crawl on humans? Ants in Your Pants Ants bite people and other animals for one of two reasons: 1 to defend themselves or their nest or 2 to kill and feed on animal prey.
The answer depends on the type of ant doing the biting. Plus, some species of ants are more aggressive than others. Are house ants poisonous? Are odorous house ants dangerous? Odorous house ants are not dangerous, but they can contaminate your food as they forage. They are considered to be nuisance pests.
Are ants unhygienic? Most kinds of ants wander upon or burrow within dirt. Hence, they'd be 'dirty' in the broad sense of the term. But is dirt unhygienic? Ants - and most other insects - are actually impressively fastidious. Can you die from eating ants? You can die in many ways from eating almost anything.
Some ants might produce metabolic results, but you could also choke or suffer a respiratory intrusion and die that way. Why are ants bad? The most common type of fiber in insects is chitin, which is derived from their external skeleton. It is insoluble fiber — the kind your body cannot digest 2 , 7. They mostly provide protein, fiber, and minerals. Traditional uses for ants vary by region and culture. They may be used to treat asthma and sore throats, or their heads may be used as stitches to close wounds 5.
However, most of the benefits of ants are associated with the advantages of consuming insects in general, such as providing an environmentally friendly, alternative source of animal protein.
As edible insects, ants may become part of the emerging trends focused on providing healthier and more sustainable diets 2. Insects in general are considered a sustainable food source due to their low environmental impact. This means they need fewer kilograms of feed for every kilogram of weight gain compared with other protein sources. For example, crickets need 12 times less feed than cattle and 4 times less feed than sheep 2.
In addition, insects help reduce environmental contamination. Insects are also credited with the following environmental benefits 2 , 7 , 10 :. Because ants are efficient and less taxing on the environment, including ants as a protein source may help reduce usage of other limited natural resources, such as land, energy, and water.
Even so, the sustainability of ants depends on good collection practices. Unsustainable collection methods may become detrimental to their natural environment 2. Rapid population growth around the world has increased the global demand for meat, but many consider current models of meat production unsustainable. Therefore, alternative animal protein sources may help reduce pressure on the environment 7 , Ants are an animal-based protein source that may help increase dietary quality and overall protein intake 2 , In fact, in countries where entomophagy is a common practice, insects are a valued source of protein 1 , However, there are still very few human studies on insect consumption.
Thus, Western companies are focusing on using insects as animal feed and pet food for now 1 , Although these benefits are less studied than others, ants may be beneficial as a source of antioxidants and may contribute to heart health.
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