You might have encountered them and panicked. The first time I saw them, I used bug killers, which left a scene reminiscent of the “Highway of Death” during the Gulf War in 1991. But then Samuel Martinez, the local bug exterminator, advised me to calm down and introduced me to the wonders of cleaner ants.
According to Samuel, these ants exist in Honduras and neighboring countries. They prey on a variety of insects, including cockroaches, geckos, worms, snakes, and even other red ants. Occasionally, they’ll also consume animals that are already dead or incapacitated. Cleaner ants typically spend a maximum of about two hours in an average house.
Why do they venture into houses when there’s plenty of “food” in the jungle?
To them, a house is simply another tree in the forest—just with several trees surrounding it—so they don’t see any boundaries.
Samuel explains that cleaner ant visits can occur once every six months or up to a year, and sometimes there might be no visits at all. They don’t adhere to a specific timeline, appearing normally for a few hours before vanishing. They haven’t been spotted during rain, though. Importantly, there have been no reports of attacks on people or pets. While they can bite, but they aren’t venomous. The queen cleaner ants can live for over 20 years, while the workers and soldiers have a lifespan of only a few months.
About Samuel Martinez:
Samuel has 16 years of experience working with the company EXTERMITES as a fumigation technician. He is driven by the belief that some species should not be exterminated since they play an important role in the food chain and contribute to human health. Samuel operates from West Bay to Camp Bay, specializing in the extermination of larger pests like rodents, termites, and German cockroaches.
If you need assistance beyond what the cleaner ants can provide and you live on Roatan, you can reach out to him here: +504 9631-6126 (also available on WhatsApp).
Do you want to see cleaner ants in action? https://youtu.be/UGLhlruwqys