New Video Project Reveals Secret Life of Ants

The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) released its latest video project chronicling the creation and excavation of a fire ant nest cast in zinc to show how these social pests live and work in large, complex colonies.


Posted by Posted by the PCT Staff

Published June 23, 2020

FAIRFAX, Va. — The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), which serves as the public outreach arm of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), released its latest video project chronicling the creation and excavation of a fire ant nest cast in zinc to show how these social pests live and work in large, complex colonies. This unique project is designed to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at a nest that was once believed to contain over 200,000 fire ants, demonstrating how just a few tiny ants can actually mean a much larger problem if not treated at the source — the nest.

“They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so to break through cluttered newsfeeds and ensure maximum exposure and impact we created this fascinating video that will definitely give homeowners something to think about,” said Cindy Mannes, executive director of PPMA. “Ants are the number one nuisance pest in America, yet many homeowners are under the impression that a few ants on the counter is nothing to write home about—but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. In order to fix an ant problem, you have to treat the source, the nest. To help drive this point home to consumers, we wanted to show this colossal nest as an example of what could be going on just below the surface of their lawn.” 
 
PPMA commissioned a third-party industry partner in the research and production aspects of the project. The team of expert entomologists took molten zinc, raised to temps above 700 degrees Fahrenheit, and poured it into a fire ant nest that ran as deep as five feet below the surface of the ground, revealing an intricate, three-dimensional casting that exposes the immense scale of a typical colony containing upwards of 100 different chambers. The project utilizes a mix of high-resolution video footage and photography in the style of an archeological dig conducted by NPMA’s certified entomology team. 
 
PPMA is using these materials to launch a robust media relations and social media campaign to give consumers a rare glimpse into the underground world of ants and the property risks they pose. 
 
“We want peoples’ jaws to drop when they see this. We want them to understand and make the connection that ants are a much bigger problem around the home and that they need a pest control professional to effectively treat the crazy looking nest that lies beneath,” said Mannes. “We want them to call you.”
 

PPMA also created a toolkit for Mainframe subscribers featuring social posts and sharable links to the project and other useful consumer resources for pest control companies to incorporate into their own marketing programs. For more information about PPMA, or to subscribe to Mainframe, please visit http://www.NPMApestworld.org/PPMA.

CLICK HERE to watch the video.

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