Tuesday, Sep. 3, 2024
Are antlions harmful to plants and gardens?
Antlions are harmless to plants, people and structures according to the University of Nebraska’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Antlions are an insect species that thrive in hot, dry environments. They are found throughout gardens and near homes in Fort Worth, where they flourish in summer months, according to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.
The insect uses its sharp jaws to catch ants and other crawling bugs.
Antlions dig funnel-shaped pits next to fences, house walls or other fixtures near dry soil in areas protected from direct rainfall.
Young antlions wait at the bottom of these funnels, which are designed to trap ants as they walk along slanted pit walls.
Antlions are harmless to humans but clear other insects from gardens.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Antlions
- Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge A Tiny Predator of Summer
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