Ants

[TransformX]

So we have ants, who doesn't.
But this is a special case, at least for my experience:
I'm used to living with ants infesting my walls and popping out of wherever they want whenever they feel like. The difference this time is that the ones I now have, though they look the same as always (small black vermin) are punching holes through stuff.
They call out the warrior/guardian ants with their superior size and bite to tear holes through paper and plastic bags of all kinds and hardness, attacking even products we haven't yet opened or used. They even tear holes in the aluminum-like bags of cereals and snacks!
Anyone ever had such an aggressive specimen before?

[Technoid]

I'm so glad i live in a temperature zone that naturally puts an damper on those kinds of pests

[Nowhere]

Kill it with fire!

(and..."who doesn't?" I don't even remember the last time I saw an ant inside the place I live (except two months ago when some number of them were brought back in a blanket/etc. from picnic, but dissapeared somehow); and I basically sleep on the floor )

[Umfriend]

TX, could you post some pics of those nasties?

[TransformX]

Okay, here we go.
The picture of the tear is a brand new, (was) sealed pack of Nestle clusters which I didn't even open the box yet.
Apparently, these ants are less after sugar and much more after protein, stealing the almond chips rather than going after sugar or honey.
The guardian ants are about 5mm long and the workers are about 3mm long.

[Evildead666]

Could it be that their natural food source is lacking..?

I haven't seen many Worms here, for example, this year.
i HAVE noticed large flocks of small birds in the hedge and vine, seemingly eating Bees, Wasps, and flies attracted to the vine...

One missing food for a species could have repercussions on everything above it on the food chain...

[TransformX]

These ants live in my walls. I live in the first floor, that meand 3m off the ground. They dominate my kitchen walls as well as adjacted rooms. Their main source of food is whatever they can find in my house. Since we're trying to keep it as clean as possible, they're raiding even sealed goods now.
Surprisingly, they show no interest in cat food.

[cjolley]

Could they be carpenter ants?
That's the only kind I know of (which isn't saying much) that chew their way into things.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK1015.html

[Fluff]

http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th3f.htm

You might find that a good read if they are as said above.

[degrub]

The ants will go for different food types depending on what the queen needs - sometimes protein, sometimes sugars.

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/msds/Advance375A%20label.pdf

is good for protein seekers

and

Maxforce with Fipronil works well for sugar seeking

http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/msds/MAXFORCE%20ANT%20KILLER%20GEL_label.pdf

Advance has a dual bait station that is convenient. - protein and sugar

Baits are about the lowest toxicity way to control the colony.

BTW, those don't look like carpenter ants - too small

You may get some identification help here:

http://www.antweb.org/

[cjolley]

We have had a great deal of luck with these:

http://www.terro.com/products.php?product=liquid_ant_bait

They are for sugar seeking ants only though.
But cheap enough to try just for what the heck.

[Jammrock]

Every year when ant season starts I lay down this:

http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?bodyCssClass=scotts+blade+product+general+en&tabs=general&navAction=push&bodyId=product_general&proId=prod70044&itemId=cat50086&id=cat50008

Otherwise my house gets infested. One layer outside, one inside. Repeat outside after 3 months. One of the big jugs usually does it. If you find the ant's entry point I lay down an extra thick layer, and if it's really bad:

http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productCategorySubSelf.jsp?navAction=jump&itemId=cat50078&id=cat50008

I throw down a lawn defense too. Normally I don't like to put down so many chemicals, but the ants around here like to get into the areas where my kids play, i.e. they are messy eaters, and that is unacceptable.

Ortho is just a brand that came to mind. I have used Bayer in the past to good effect to. Though you need to rotate your product (or more accurately, the active ingredient in the product) or after a few years all the bugs we gain a form of immunity.