Ants

Latin: Family Formicidae

Common Locations:

Any livable location including lawns, walls, stumps and under your foundations.

What are Ants?

Ants usually live in colonies or nests in a protected place such as in the soil near a house foundation, under crawl spaces, under concrete slabs, in gardens or trees and in structural wood. Ants have three castes or social systems: queens, males, and workers. Queens and males are the reproductives. New ant colonies are started by a single fertilized Queen which lays eggs and tends her brood. When worker ants search for food they might appear in households and become pests and contaminate food.

Species like the carpenter ants and fire ants can cause additional problems than just a pesky insect. Carpenter ants can damage wood beams and ceilings and the sting that fire ants cause severe pain at the sting site.

How do I identify Ants?

Several kinds of ants exist.They range from 1/32 to almost an inch in length. Their coloration varies: yellowish, light brown, reddish-brown, brownish-black or jet black. Ants in general have three body parts: head, thorax and abdomen. Most ants do not have wings but sometimes swarming winged ants are confused with swarming, winged termites.

To help distinguish an ant from a termite look for:

The ant’s body to appear pinched in at the waist. Termites do not have an apparent waist.
Ants have elbowed antennae and termites have straight bead-like antennae.
The forewings on an ant are larger than the hind wings, and those of a termite are all the same size.
Ants’ wings are either transparent or brownish and termites’ wings are milky-white or grayish and are longer than the body.
Ants have firmly attached wings and termites’ wings can be easily removed or can fall off.

The main type of ant is an Argentine Ant.

These ants are found in 15 states ranging from California to Florida. They are known to build huge colonies usually near a food source and will give off a musty odor when crushed. Small in size- 1/8” -1/4” long. Will contaminate food and water but are not a direct health threat.

How do I get rid of Ants?

Ants are attracted to moisture and food crumbs. Prevent them from coming inside by disposing of any standing water or food residue within the house. A serious problem of ants is food contamination. Their bodies may carry bacteria and may spread them across counter tops and other surfaces while searching for food.

Argentine ants are attracted to wood, which they nest in. Keeping any wood piles and other wooden materials stored away from your house will help reduce problems with ants.

Try to keep branches and plants trimmed and clear of your home. Also make sure crevices and cracks are filled. Ants can enter through even the tiniest cracks in search for water and sweet or greasy food. They can nest anywhere they find hospitable and undisturbed so it is important to keep an eye on location like lawns, walls, stumps and under your foundations.

Do it at home traps will catch the ants you see but not those in a colony. If you are having an ant problem, Brezden Pest Control can develop a comprehensive eradication plan.

Ignoring the problem will not make it go away, and this is why Brezden Pest Control’s San Luis Obispo pest control specialists are dedicated to offering as much information about pests as possible on our web site. We use our web site as more than just a business card. To keep our loyal customers educated, we’re writing valuable educational articles every month on the topic of pest control.

Pest control in San Luis Obispo, and in many parts of the Central Coast of California, should include treatment for ants. As one of the most common characters of the insect world, ants can be a problem inside and outside your home. There are a number of different types of ants and they range in color from yellow to black. To make sure you get rid of ants effectively their nests need to be destroyed. We are experts at finding and eliminating ant nests.

Ants are social creatures and it’s usually worker ants that enter your home in search of food. Keeping your home clean is a good way to discourage them from entering. Cleaning up after cooking, and putting away food promptly after use, are excellent ways to deter them from entering your home.

Ants are also attracted to sources of moisture so make sure you don’t have taps dripping or areas outside where you let water collect. Ants are also attracted to wood, especially rotting wood, which can provide the perfect spot for them to build a nest. Make sure you don’t have any piles of wood lying around outdoors and regularly check for signs of nesting under pots and between pavement cracks. To deter them from entering your home make sure all cracks and crevices are sealed.