Ants
Ants are social insects that typically live in underground colonies made up of tunnels. The colonies consist of workers and queens. Ants will eat any type of food but are specifically attracted to sweets. Ants have three distinct body regions: head, thorax, and abdomen, as well as an antennae. Ants vary in their overall appearance.
Most species of ants that invade our homes such as sugar ants, odorous house ants, pavement ants, little black ants and acrobat ants are considered nuisance pests and are not harmful. However, many species such as carpenter ants, argentine ants, fire ants and pharaoh ants pose a potential danger to you or your property. Carpenter ants do not eat wood, but can cause costly structural damage through their nest building. Fire ant stings are painful and can cause severe allergic reactions. Fire ants large colonies can severely injure crops, lawns, young birds and people. Argentine ants do not pose an extreme threat but have been known to be carriers of disease causing bacteria for conditions like dysentery. Pharaoh ants have been implicated in the spread of more than a dozen disease pathogens including Salmonella and Streptococcus pyogenes. Pharaoh ants are known for being a major nuisance in hospitals where they can get into patients wounds, IV bottles, and even in mouths of sleeping patients. If you need ant control, contact Barnes Pest Control and we will provide you with the most effective service to rid your home or business of ants.
Common ants found in our area of Northeast Mississippi are listed below:
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are among the largest ants found throughout the United States, ranging from 1/8 to 1/2 inches in length. Although they are commonly black, some species are a combination of red and black, solid red or brown. Carpenter ants nest in a variety of wood sources. Their colonies can range in size from several thousand up to 15,000 thousand including satellite nests.
Red Fire Ants
Fire ants vary in size ranging from 1/16 to 1/4 inches in length and are usually a reddish brown color. Their colonies have a single queen and range from 80,000 to 250,000 workers and 30-100 mounds per acre. Multi queen colonies have fewer workers per colony but have 200-700 mounds per acre. Fire ants usually nest in the ground but can develop colonies within structures, especially in areas near soil like structural foundations or in landscaping. Fire ants can live as deep as 10 feet in the ground.
Little Black Ant
Little black ants are 1/16 inches long and are typically jet black, although some may be dark brown to black. Their colonies have several queens and grow rapidly in a short period of time. Black ants nest in lawns, beneath stones, and in areas that lack vegetation. They will also nest within rotting wood and behind woodwork of structures. Indoors they will be found at the edge of carpeting and within old tunnels and wall voids.
Odorous House Ant
The odorous house ant workers are 1/16 to 1/8 inches long and are brown to black in color. These ants produce a rotten coconut smell when crushed. These ants often nest outdoors beneath stones and within nests of larger ants. Indoors, the ants will nest in wall or floor voids, around heat sources, and crevices around sinks & cabinets. The ants usually invade structures during rainy periods after honeydew from plants washes off.
Acrobat Ant
The acrobat ant is 1/16 to 1/8 inches long and are light brown to black in color. Their colonies range from moderate to large in size. The ants nest outdoors under stones, logs, firewood, and in trees. Within structures, they nest in the walls and floor voids and foam insulation. The worker ants defend their colonies aggressively and are quick to bite releasing a foul odor.
Argentine Ant
Argentine ant workers are 1/16 inches long and light to dark brown in color. Queens are 1/8 to 1/4 inches long, brown and covered with fine hair. The males are slightly smaller and shiny brown-black. The colonies consist of several hundred to several thousand workers and several queens and are located in moist areas near a food source. They live within nests outdoors but can become major pests when looking for food indoors.
Pavement Ant
Pavement ants are 1/8 inches in length and dark brown to black in color. They get their name due to nesting outdoors in pavement cracks, under stones and next to buildings. Indoors they will nest in walls, insulation and under floors.
Pharaoh Ants
Pharaoh ants are 1/16 inches in length, their body usually pale yellow to pale red, and the abdomen dark in color. Colonies of pharaoh ants tend to be large with workers numbering in the thousands. They are commonly found in commercial food handling establishment such as hotels, grocery stores, and hospitals. These ants nest near food and water sources in warm, humid areas usually located in wall voids, behind baseboards, in furniture and under floors.
Sugar Ant
Sugar ants are small, between 2.5 to 18mm long. They have black heads and a rusty, orange-brown body. Sugar ants prefer warm and humid climates, and are commonly found around food or places with high moisture such as bathrooms and kitchens. The ants will nest in small crevices and holes and are even known to target electrical wires in homes due to their burrowing behavior.