It is necessary to properly identify the ant species that you have in order to effectively eradicate them. Of the thousands of species of ants, the four listed below are the most commonly found int the United States.
Odorous House Ants: sometimes called odorous ants, are small, measuring 2.4 to 3.3 mm in length. They have dark brown or black bodies with one node on their petiole, which is hidden by their abdomens. Odorous house ants have an unevenly shaped thorax when viewed from the side. The most distinguishable characteristic of odorous house ants is the smell of rotten coconut that is emitted when their bodies are crushed.
Odorous ant nests are found in a great variety of situations. Inside buildings, they are often found nesting in the walls or beneath the floor. They are most likely to invade buildings during rainy weather. Odorous ants travel in trails, foraging day and night.
Outdoors, odorous ants often feed on honeydew, a sugary waste produced from sap from feeding insects such as aphids. Inside buildings, they prefer sweet items but will also feed on meats and grease.
Carpenter Ants: are about five eights inches long. The tend to burrow in damp wood but have also been known to damage solid wood. The do not eat the wood, but simply remove it in order to build a nest.
Pavement Ants: are about one-eighth inch long. they generally make their nests in pavement cracks and are also capable of infesting a building.
Pharaoh Ants: are about one-sixteenth inch long. These ants are commonly found in hospitals and nursing homes, where they are capable of transmitting Staphylococcus and Pseudomonas infections. Pharaoh Ants also invade restaurants, apartment buildings and similar dwellings.
Ants with wings can easily be mistaken for termites, which may lead to a wrong treatment. In comparison, ants have a very narrow thorax (mid-section), while termites’ bodies are more uniform.
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