Ants

Ants are one of the most common pests people will encounter and among the top contenders for the number one pest control purchase. That’s because ants don’t usually come in ones and twos. Most ants travel in groups of workers. Some ants will even travel by colonies as they move from one place to another.

This means large infestations can break out in record time from seemingly out of nowhere. Suddenly, what was about to be a nice dinner can turn into a dinner nightmare! But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Four Seasons Pest Solutions has been providing customers with ant-free lives since 1978, and we have no intentions to stop!

Although ants may seem harmless, some of them actually pose some unique and even serious threats to both structures and humans. Each species carries its own baggage and, in many cases, its own little secrets. Below are the primary pest ant species for Kentucky and Tennessee.

Acrobat Ants

Scientific Name: Crematogaster
Color: Black to light brown and sometimes multi-colored
Size: 1/16 to 1/8 inch in length
Shape: Three body parts with a long and distinctive heart-shaped gaster (abdomen)
Region: Worldwide
Food Sources: Honeydew, insects

Threats:

May bite when threatened
Workers can emit unpleasant odors if disturbed
Can strip insulation from wiring posing short circuits, damaged electronics and even fires.

Habits:

Feed on Honeydew excreted by Mealybugs and aphids.
They protect both mealybugs and aphids.
Eat both live and dead insects
Nest near moisture, under stones, in stumps, in rotten logs and under woodpiles.
Will inhabit old termite galleries if adequate moisture is present.
Will create piles of debris indoors by pushing out their waste, dead insects and other refuse.
Will inhabit other areas in buildings where moisture is present.
Easily distinguished when disturbed by raising their abdomen above their head and thorax, giving them their unique names: Saint Valentine Ant, Cocktail Ant and Acrobat Ant.

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Acrobat ants colonies produce winged males and females (alates) which swarm from the colony in the fall. Once these alates mate, the females fly to a new location and begin nesting. This female is now a queen and will lay her eggs within the new colony. Soon those eggs will turn to larvae, then pupae before completing metamorphosis into an adult.

Nests and Colonies:

Acrobat ants are well known to nest in wall voids, behind baseboards and door or window frames and old termite galleries. These ants prefer moisture damaged wood but will nest in undamaged cavities as well. These ants have been known to strip the insulation from telephone and electrical wires which can cause short-circuits and even fires.

Outside, they will nest under rocks, logs, firewood, stored items and other items laying on the ground. They prefer nesting in moist wood which has been made soft from fungi and decay.

Preventative Measures:

Make sure other pest populations and any dead insects are not accumulated within the structure.
Repair and replace any termite damaged wood.
Eliminate honeydew-producing pests outside the structure.
Discard any opened and used sugary foods and drinks or properly store them when not in use.
Store food in airtight containers.
Don’t leave foods open for pests to detect and infest.
Eliminate moisture and standing water from around the structure.
Keep all shrubs, plants and trees at least 16” from touching any surface of the structure.
Employ regularly scheduled pest maintenance by your pest control company of choice.

Argentine Ants

Scientific Name: Linepithema humile
Color: Light to dark brown
Head: 12-segmented antenna
Size: 2.2 to 2.8 mm in length
Shape: Three segmented body with oval appearance
Region: Southern U.S., Hawaii and California
Food Sources: Prefer honeydew but are omnivorous

Threats:

Can kill and displace honeybees
Can kill and displace native invertebrates which other native species depend on
Pose no threat to humans

Habits:

Prefer wet environments near sources of food
Adaptable and will nest in a variety of locations
Nests are usually shallow to around 8 inches deep in ground and close to buildings and sidewalks and under boards
Travel in trails
All Argentine ant castes are the same size, including the queen
Will be drawn to sweets and oily foods and are omnivorous
Indoors, will colonize around areas of moisture
Colonies can grow to cover several miles of territory and contain hundreds of queens
Queens may be regularly seen working alongside other workers
Quickly grow in number and large colonies are formed

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Argentine Ants pass through complete metamorphosis beginning with the egg. Eggs are white and usually hatch larvae in about 28 days. It takes roughly 74 days to reach maturity.

Nests and Colonies:

Argentine ants do not have swarmers like other ant colonies. Instead, They produce winged reproductives that mate within the current colony. If the colony reaches maximum capacity, a queen Argentine ant may leave her nest on foot to begin a new, connected colony nearby. This connection will remain intact and several satellite colonies may be connected to the original, sharing workers as needed. Colonies can grow out-of-hand in urban settings, especially where water is present. While they pose no threat to humans, their presence can be a nuisance, especially in large numbers.

Argentine ant colonies can get large enough that they are able to overtake other ant species, honeybee colonies, birds and other small animals. It is worth asking, could these ants be used to disrupt imported fire ant colonies and reduce their numbers? Currently, we have seen no information regarding any studies on the matter.

Preventative Measures:

Make sure other pest populations and any dead insects are not accumulated within the structure.
Repair and replace any termite damaged wood, especially where moisture is present.
Eliminate honeydew-producing pests outside the structure.
Discard any opened and used sugary foods and drinks or properly store them when not in use.
Store food in airtight containers.
Don’t leave foods open for pests to detect and infest.
Eliminate moisture and standing water from around the structure.
Keep all shrubs, plants, and trees at least 16” from touching any surface of the structure.
Employ regularly scheduled pest maintenance by your pest control company of choice.

Carpenter Ants

Scientific Name: Campontous pennsylvanicus
Color: Black, Red or Black and Red
Head: Heart shaped
Size: Workers are ¼ to ½ inch, Queens are ½ to ¾ inch
Shape: Three segmented body with oval appearance
Region: Throughout the U.S.
Food Sources: Dead insects, honeydew, meat, honey, carbohydrates and proteins

Threats:

Will damage wood and compromise structural integrity
Can bite if threatened

Habits:

Prefer wet wood
Nest in dead wood including the dead wood of living trees
Will nest in water damaged wood inside a structure
Nests are constructed by excavating galleries in wet, damaged wood
Travel individually and sometimes in trails
Will excavate old termite galleries and reclaim them for nesting

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Carpenter Ants pass through complete metamorphosis beginning with the queen. Newly mated queens nest in wet and damaged wood and lay several eggs. She will remain with the eggs until they become adult workers. It takes roughly 6 to 12 weeks to reach maturity.

Nests and Colonies:

Carpenter ant colonies begin when the swarmers emerge from the original colony, mate and then find their way into damaged wood to begin the nesting phase. Once a life cycle has matured, the colony has been established and will continue to grow. Within one to three years, the queen will begin producing winged males and females which will repeat the cycle of swarming to new nesting sites.

Preventative Measures:

Keep firewood, construction materials and other wood products a minimum of 20 feet from the structure, elevated at least 6 inches off the ground
Repair and replace any termite damaged wood
Keep branches and limbs trimmed away from the home at least 3 – 5 feet
Eliminate honeydew-producing pests outside the structure
Repair broken or malfunctioning gutters and downspouts
Keep gutters and downspouts unobstructed
Address any water or moisture problems in or near the structure
Repair damaged and rotten wood
Seal gaps, cracks and crevices along the exterior perimeter of the structure
Employ regularly scheduled pest maintenance by your pest control company of choice

Crazy Ants

Scientific Name: Paratrechina longicornis
Color: Red-brown to grayish black,or dark brown to black with a gray luster
Head: 12-segmented antenna
Size: 1/16 to 1/8 inch long
Shape: Unordinary long legs and antenna
Region: Throughout the U.S.
Food Sources: Live and dead insects, seeds, fruits, and honeydew, human foods

Threats:

Can contaminate foods

Habits:

Enter homes in the fall after rain because both conditions reduce honeydew supplies
Inside, they will nest under floors and carpets, wall voids and even potted plants
Crazy ants get their name from their seemingly erratic and jerking movements as the search for food
Nest in wet or dry habitats
Nests are shallow and usually found in soil under objects and adjacent to foundations
They thrive near gas stations, restaurants and other areas where plenty of food is available
Seemingly prefer a protein diet in summer months
Tend aphids, mealybugs and soft scales for their honeydew production
Typically nest a distance from food source

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Reproductives of the crazy ant colony may be raised at any time in warm regions. In seasonal regions, the reproductive time is from May through September. In the evenings of warm and humid days, males will gather outside the colony entrance. As dealate females emerge, mating takes place. The queens emerge wingless and neither the male or female are observed to fly.

Nests and Colonies:

Crazy ants are highly adaptable and will nest in a variety of locations. Trash receptacles, rotten wood, in soil and other cavities can provide perfect sites for nesting.

Prevention:

Keep vegetation trimmed away from structures
Eliminate food sources
Eliminate honeydew-producing pests outside the structure
Seal gaps, cracks and crevices to deter nesting and entry
Immediately clean spills and crumbs from countertops and other areas
Eliminate damp conditions within the structure and around the structure
Store firewood and other wood and building materials a minimum of 20 feet from the structure
Check potted plants for ants before bringing them indoors

Odorous Ants

Scientific Name: Tapinoma sessile
Color: Brown to black
Size: 1/16 to 1/8 inch in length
Shape: Three body segments, uneven thorax, hairless
Region: Throughout the U.S.
Food Sources: Honeydew, sugary foods, dairy products and other human foods

Threats:

Food contamination

Habits:

Feed on Honeydew excreted by Mealybugs and aphids
Will eat a variety of human foods
Nest near sources of moisture such as wall voids near water pipes
Nest near moisture, under stones, in stumps, in rotten logs and under woodpiles
Will inhabit old termite galleries
Gives off a strong rotten-coconut odor when crushed
Will nest beneath items touching the ground outside, bricks, stones, tarps, planters, wood, and anything else that creates a dry shelter on the ground
Easily distinguished by crushing the ant and smelling the remains

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Odorous ants undergo complete metamorphosis. Beginning with a fertilized female, eggs are laid and begin the transformation. Depending on the temperature other variables, the complete process from egg to adult will take between 34 and 83 days.

Nests and Colonies:

Odorous ants live in colonies with 2 or more queens and 100,000 workers or more. New colonies are created in two different ways.

Winged sexual reproductive (alates) can swarm from the nest like other ants and termites. Mating will then occur and the female will establish a new colony. Swarming will occur usually in the summer months.
Budding will occur in odorous ant colonies. A queen and several workers may leave the main colony to begin a new colony of their own.

Preventative Measures:

Clean up spills and other crumbs and foods
Repair and replace any termite damaged wood
Eliminate honeydew-producing pests outside the structure
Discard any opened and used sugary foods and drinks or properly store them when not in use
Store food in airtight containers
Don’t leave foods open for pests to detect and infest
Eliminate moisture and standing water from around the structure
Keep all shrubs, plants and trees at least 16” from touching any surface of the structure
Employ regularly scheduled pest maintenance by your pest control company of choice
Store firewood and building materials a minimum of 20 feet from the structure

Pavement Ants

Scientific Name: Tetramorium caespitum
Color: Dark brown to blackish
Size: 1/8 to 3/16 inch in length
Shape: Three body segments, oval, two distinct bead-like segments (nodes) between what appears to be the thorax and abdomen
Region: Throughout the U.S.
Food Sources: Honeydew, seeds, pollen and all types of foods

Threats:

Food contamination
Scan cause sidewalks and other concrete or blacktop areas to sink due to extreme soil excavation
Plant damage from the aphids they protect

Habits:

Extremely social
Feed on almost any food source
Nest under stone and other masonry or concrete surfaces
Nest in cracks and crevices of pavement, stone, and other masonry products
Territorial and will fight neighboring pavement ant colonies
Territories are usually 18-20 feet in diameter
Springtails, mites, aphids and small butterfly caterpillars may live within the pavement ant colony
Prefer human modified environments with lots of pavement or masonry

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Pavement ants undergo complete metamorphosis beginning as eggs. Fertilized queens lay eggs which fully develop to maturity in about 60 days. Usually, a single queen exists in each colony.

Nests and Colonies:

Pavement ant colonies will often have 10,000 or more workers. Workers rear reproductive, winged males and females (alates). These leave the colony as swarmers in June. Once swarming begins, they hang in the air in small clouds as they mate. After mating, the females land, shed their wings and find a crack or crevice to enter and begin their new colony.

Preventative Measures:

Clean up spills and other crumbs and foods
Repair cracks and crevices within the structure, the outside of the structure and in any masonry or pavement-like surfaces
Eliminate honeydew-producing pests outside the structure
Discard any opened and used sugary foods and drinks or properly store them when not in use
Store food in airtight containers
Employ regularly scheduled pest maintenance by your pest control company of choice
Store unused masonry products away from structures

Pharaoh Ants

Scientific Name: Monomorium pharaonis
Color: Pale yellow or light brown almost transparent with darker abdomen. Males are black.
Size: 1/16 inch long
Shape: Three body segments and monomorphic. Males have straight antenna
Region: Worldwide (cryptogenic)
Food Sources: Sweets, oils, and proteins from various sources. Other insects

Threats:

Spread more than a dozen various diseases including salmonella and streptococcus pyogenes
Will notoriously infest hospitals
Will enter wounded skin
Will enter IV bottles
May seek water from mouths of sleeping individuals

Habits:

Release pheromones to guide each other to food sources
Colonies usually number in the thousands
If disturbed, one colony may bud into 2 or more colonies and spread quickly
Nest in warm, humid areas such as walls, baseboards, furniture and beneath floors
Will travel on wiring to migrate around structures

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

It takes approximately 38 days for the Pharaoh worker ant to undergo complete metamorphosis from egg to adult. Queens and males take 42 days. Females usually live between 4 and 12 months and workers generally live about 10 weeks. Mating takes place within the colony and no swarming has been observed. Males are not often found in the colony.

Nests and Colonies:

Pharaoh ant colonies have multiple queens and can easily move their colonies or bud when disturbed. Colonies prefer 80 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit with 80% humidity. Colonies can vary from a few dozen to hundreds of thousands but tend to be around 10,000.

Preventative Measures:

Clean up spills and other crumbs and foods
Repair cracks and crevices inside and outside the structure
Use dehumidifiers to bring humidity levels down within a structure
Discard any opened and used sugary foods and drinks or properly store them when not in use
Store food in airtight containers
Clean up grease and protein based spills quickly
Store firewood and other materials away from the structure
Employ regularly scheduled pest maintenance by your pest control company of choice
MUST NEVER BE TREATED BY LIQUID TREATMENTS. Colonies will bud and spread the infestation throughout a building. Treatment by baiting methods must be employed

Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA)

Scientific Name: Solenopsis invicta
Color: Dark reddish-brown to black
Size: 1/8 to 1/4 inch long
Shape: Three body segments, oval
Region: Southeastern U.S. including Kentucky, Some western states
Food Sources: Buds and fruits of plants and crops such as corn, soy citruses and okra. Also eat meat and other foods

Threats:

Bite and sting humans and animals which disturb their colony
Stings are painful
Will aggressively attack and multiple stings may occur
Large numbers of stings may be fatal
Those with allergies may have severe reactions to bites
Can attack livestock and wild animals which inadvertently disturb a colony
Attack and destroy food crops

Habits:

Nest in soil and form large irregular and flattened mounds above the ground
Mounds range from 1 foot high and two to four square feet in diameter.
Prefer sunny, open areas but will nest in shaded areas near or in structures
Colonies can bud and one colony can turn into several
They are attracted to electrical junction boxes and gas and water meters and have been found nesting within
Have been responsible for electrical short-outs

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Newly mated queens lay clusters of approximately 12 eggs. These hatch in 7 to 10 days and the larvae are fed by the queen. Larvae develop for 6 to 10 days and then pupate. Once workers are established, they will feed the queen and care for new larvae. In an established colony, queens can lay up to 800 eggs per day.

Nests and Colonies:

Average RIFA colonies may contain 500,000 or more workers and several hundred alates and queens. Queens can live as long as 6 to 10 years while worker ants live around 5 weeks and sometimes more. RIFA come in two varieties: multiple queen colonies and single queen colonies.

Preventative Measures:

Avoid any mounds
Repair cracks and crevices inside and outside the structure to prevent entry
Avoid purchasing soil and other ground covering from known infested areas

If you are stung by fire ants, it is best to quickly seek medical attention in case of an allergy or other complication. See Blog Post for more info on Fire Ants.

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Blog Posts

Ants

Acrobat Ants

Threats:

Habits:

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Nests and Colonies:

Preventative Measures:

Argentine Ants

Threats:

Habits:

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Nests and Colonies:

Preventative Measures:

Carpenter Ants

Threats:

Habits:

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Nests and Colonies:

Preventative Measures:

Crazy Ants

Threats:

Habits:

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Nests and Colonies:

Prevention:

Odorous Ants

Threats:

Habits:

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Nests and Colonies:

Preventative Measures:

Pavement Ants

Threats:

Habits:

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Nests and Colonies:

Preventative Measures:

Pharaoh Ants

Threats:

Habits:

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Nests and Colonies:

Preventative Measures:

Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA)

Threats:

Habits:

Reproduction and Lifecycle:

Nests and Colonies:

Preventative Measures:

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