Can ant lions be used for ant extermination?
The following answer comes from Mark Swanson of The Ant Lion Pit. Thanks for the info Mark. I’ve been asked this question too, and I answer with “probably not.” I haven’t actually put this question to an entomologist, and I don’t have any evidence to support my view, but I’m basing this opinion on the fact that an antlion can eat only one ant every 20 minutes or so and probably couldn’t keep up that pace all day long. I suppose it depends on the size of the ant colony, but my guess is that they could never keep up with them. One of the “beneficial insects” websites includes antlions in its list but doesn’t say that they could actually be used for ant control. Wishful thinking perhaps? I would suggest looking up alternative ant control methods on the web.