What are these ant thingies?

[I_wanna_Shed]

Hi,

Been noticing a lot of these little ant buggers around the dog food bowl - they don't seem to be climbing over anything else. They are an average of around 8mm in length.

What are they? How do I get rid of em?

Cheers,
Nathan.

[tea lady]

not ants. Look a bit like stink bugs. But what ever they are, they are prolly attracted to the dog food, or traces of it on the dish. Maybe you should put the dish in the laundry sink to wash for a while. They might go look somewhere else for something to eat. Maybe.

[rotten_66]

Young stink bugs. (My grandma called them Harlequin Bugs). If you squish them you will get a lovely greenish goo and will then know why they are called stink bugs!
They suck the juice out of things, seem to love my tomatoes. You end up with pale patches all over the fruit.

After cold weather you will find them all huddle together, usually under something like a brick or wood. A kettle of boiling water seems to do the trick

[wheelinround]

Nathan if you can catch any take them to the council for inspection

to safe guard dogs food sit it into a saucer larger than the bowl and fill saucer with water for normal ants.

[I_wanna_Shed]

Thanks all for the help. I squashed some and no greeny liquid came out of em to suggest stink bugs (not saying you are wrong though).

A horticulture mate is popping around this weekend - I remember him doing a Uni assignment where he had to collect around 50 different bugs - I'll see if he knows.

Cheers,
Nathan.

[kiwigeo]

Look like Ubeaut Bugs......otherwise known as "Neily bugs"