Identifying Ants Common to our Area Pavement Ants Pavement ants are black to dark brown, with lighter colored legs. They are up to 1/8" in length. Pavement ants have two nodes (segments between the thorax and abdomen). The most identifiable features of the pavement ant are probably indented grooves parallel to each other, one on the head, the other on the thorax. Their name is just what it implies; at least as far as their nesting habits are concerned. They can be found around sidewalks, rocks, cracks in basement slabs, etc. When nests are found in homes, it is typically in wall voids and sub-flooring. They typically become a pest as it starts to get colder, because they are looking to nest in a warmer place over the winter. Pavement ants feed on grease and meat basically, but will feed on other insects, and sweet foods. As prevention methods to keep pavement ants out of your home, make sure all cracks and gaps around the exterior of your home are filled. You may want to make sure that any crack in the concrete on slab homes or in your basement are properly sealed. Rocks, old wood, and leaves should be cleaned up around the exterior of your home because this will give them less choices for nesting sites on your property.                      Citronella Ants   The Large Yellow Ant, or Citronella Ant as it is often referred to, are about 1/4" to 3/16" in length. They are a gold-yellow color or reddish-yellow in color and have one node (segment between the thorax and abdomen). They also have an uneven thorax. Large Yellow Ants get the name "Citronella Ant" because of the citronella-like smell that is given of when they are crushed.    Winged "swarmers" can be found in the thousands during the spring and late fall. These ants do over winter. Some of the places that they nest are under rocks and landscaping timbers, in rotting wood, around patios, and mounds that you may find in your yard. It is thought that they feed specifically on honeydew produced by aphids.    These ants are of no danger to causing any type of structural damage, but they can be an annoying pest, especially for some people that may have them pop up through cracks in their basement or from nesting in crawlspaces.    Having a pest control operator perform a one time service for you is a good way to get rid of them if they are nesting inside, but the best form of pest control is probably to try to control the aphids you may have around ornamental plants. Without a food source close by, they will most likely look elsewhere to nest.                      Pharaoh Ants      Pharaoh Ants are extremely small, growing only to about 1/16" in length. They have two nodes (segment between the thorax and abdomen) and are light brown to dark yellowish-gold in color. They can also be distinguished from other smaller ants by a three segmented "club" on the end of their antenna. Pharaoh Ants feed on a variety of foods, ranging from meats, other insects, sweets, syrup, grease, and just about any other food that humans might consume. These ants can be extremely difficult to control, because they nest just about anywhere inside your home. They will nest in sub-flooring, attics, electrical outlets, wall voids, behind baseboards, etc. Some common structures these pests invade are hospitals and nursing homes. Another reason they are difficult to control is because these ants do not swarm. Instead they produce new colonies by "budding". This means you could have up to 54 queens in one colony. If the colony is sprayed, they will sense danger and divide the colony up, making a bad problem worse. Baiting with only specific types of baits will be effective in eliminating Pharaoh Ants, so it is important to have a pest management professional take care of the problem for you.                  Thief Ants  When you here people refer to very small ants they may have or refer to them as grease ants, this is most likely thief ants. They are the smallest household ants in our area at only about 1/20th of an inch long. Thief ants get their name because they are known to nest in the same areas as larger ants and steal their larvae. It is very common for them to travel back and forth from their nesting sites and food sources in well defined trails. Thief Ants generally prefer to feed on protein and greasy foods, such as you will find in meats, cheeses, peanut butter, and nuts. I’m sure this makes it pretty easy to see where the nickname ‘grease ant’ comes from. They will however eat will also eat sweets, too.  Thief Ant colonies are sometimes very difficult to find. When nesting outside, they will in many instances nest around rotted wood that may be holding moisture or could just be nesting in the soil just as Pavement Ants may. When they nest inside, they may nest behind kitchen counters, behind cabinets, or behind baseboards and other tight places. Just as said earlier, these ants can be very difficult to identify. We recommend that you give us a call in identification of these types of ants because they can easily be mistaken with Pharaoh Ants. The difference is that Thief Ants reproduce colonies by swarming (usually June-July through September-October) and Pharaoh Ants do so by budding.   Acrobat Ants   Acrobat ants are small, about 1/8 of an inch long, and are brown to black in color. They get their name from distinctively holding their heart-shaped abdomen over their thorax (back section above the middle section) especially when they have been disturbed. They can easily be distinguished from other ants of similar size because of the characteristics described above. They feed on a wide variety of foods, from meats, sweets, to other insects. Outside, they are commonly found around water damaged wood, rotted wood, and sometimes in soil and under stones. Because of their attraction to water damaged wood, they are usually found in water damaged areas when nesting in your home, especially window frames and wall voids. This causes them to be mistaken for Carpenter Ants on occasion.                 Carpenter Ants     Carpenter Ants range in size from 1/8" to 1/2".They are typically jet black in color. However, there are some variations of this. The most typical variation would be jet black on the head and abdomen, with a reddish or brownish thorax. They can be identified fairly easily by the one "node"(one segment) they have that connects the abdomen to the thorax. They also have a circle of hairs around the abdomen that has a silvery-goldish sheen to it. Finally, they have a large head with an evenly rounded thorax when looked at from the side.    Contrary to popular belief, Carpenter Ants do not actually eat wood. They actually are more of a scavenger, feeding on honeydew left by aphids, other insects, sweets, and meat. Why they are actually so destructive in wood is because they make it their home. Carpenter Ants prefer to start nests in areas of wood that may have had previous water damage. This makes it easier for the ants to burrow into the wood to make their nests because the wood is softer. They also may prefer areas with a moisture problem because it gives them a close water source.    One sign that you may have Carpenter Ants nesting in your home may be seeing some of these ants foraging in your home. If you are seeing a large number during the day, you can bet that you have a large colony close by. This is because Carpenter Ants actually do the majority of their feeding at night. Keep in mind that just because you have seen a few Carpenter Ants inside your home does not necessarily mean that they are nesting in your home.     Carpenter Ants are very clean as they hollow out new galleries in wood, so another sign might be what appears to be sawdust around entrance and exit holes for the colony. In these areas you may also see body parts left from other insects they have fed on and some of their own dead. Finally, Carpenter Ants will produce winged "swarmers" when a colony is mature. These "swarmers" will break off and form a new colony somewhere else.    In order to get rid of a Carpenter Ant colony, you have to hit the colony were they live, killing the queen. Spraying can be ineffective without removal of the colony because the queen will just continue to produce more workers. Baiting can reduce populations, but it also is ineffective in complete removal of a colony because they feed on such a wide variety of foods.     To prevent from getting these destructive pests in your home, it is a good idea to trim back trees that may be touching your house. Also, if you have firewood around, don't store it close to the house or allow wood to soil contact. This is also good advice to lessen the possibility of termites feeding on your home. If you suspect that you may have a Carpenter Ant problem give us a call so we can get rid of it before they do any more damage!   Oderous House Ants   House ants are 1/16" to 1/18" in length and black or dark brown in color. They have one node (segment between the thorax and abdomen). These ants, unlike most others in our area, live for several years. House ants will feed on just about any human food, but it seems they prefer sweet foods or grease. They typically nest outside under logs or rocks. Sometimes if you discover a different form of ant you will find house ants also. That is because they will nest in the same place(s) other ants are nesting. When they choose your home as a nesting site, you will typically find them nesting in wall voids by pipes, around kitchen cabinets, or by pipes near your hot water heater. Because these ants both swarm in the summer and "bud off", they can be difficult to control. Baits can be used, preferably a combination of sweet and protein, along with a barrier spray to prevent foraging workers from returning to the nest in your home. Where they have nested in wall voids, they void must be treated to eliminate the nesting site. The baits and service that Yield Pest provide are second to none. Give us a call to get rid of these pests!