Imported fire ant. Most ants eat a wide variety of foods, although some have specialized tastes. Fire ants feed on honeydew, sugars, proteins, oils, seeds, plants and insects. Pharaoh ants feed on sugars, proteins, oils and insects. Figure 4 .
Ants locate food by random searching.
When a scouting ant finds promising food, she carries it or a piece of it back to the nest. Any workers she meets on the way become excited and rush toward the nest. The means of communication is unknown, but some ants leave scent trails that others can follow to the food source. Ants require water and will travel some distance for it if necessary. Workers are able to bring water to the colony in their stomachs.