By carrying bits of plants and animal remains into their nests, the soil is fertilized and nutrients recycled through the ecosystem. And finally, ants are among the leading predators of other insects, helping to keep pest populations low. However, ants may become a nuisance by constructing mounds or small hills in the lawn or by invading the home in search of food. The ants found in Iowa lawns are not biting or stinging pests. The fire ants of the southern U.S., well known for their aggressive behavior and painful stings, are not present in Iowa.
Ants are social insects that live in well-organized colonies.
Nearly all of the ants in a colony are the wingless sterile females, called workers, typically seen on or around an ant hill. In the spring or fall ant colonies may produce winged males and females called swarmers. These harmless reproductives disperse from a well-established nest to begin new colonies. Soil nesting ants construct mounds or small hills by bringing granulated soil to the surface from the nest below. These mounds may be unsightly, may cause lawn unevenness, and if large, may smoother out the surrounding grass.