Ants - General
ANTS - Some of their more common names are sugar ants, house ants, army ants, and nature's scavengers. Ants are the most common pest and one of the most difficult to control. They can be a nuisance pest with just a few scouts in your house looking for food, or the dreaded and dangerous Fire Ant and Harvester Ant. Now medically and economically speaking, they may affect people by stinging and biting; by invading and contaminating food; by nesting in lawns, golf courses and premises causing damage; by stealing seeds from seed beds or by feeding on germinating seeds; by defoliating or gnawing into plants and plant products, fostering other injurious insects like plant lice, mealy bugs and plant diseases and fungus; by gnawing holes in fabrics, and by removing rubber insulation from telephone wires or other equipment; by killing young poultry, birds, livestock or game; and Carpenter Ants can seriously damage wooden structures. Now of course only a few of the ant species are actually anything more than just a nuisance pest. Some of these ant pests are the Argentine Ant, Fire Ant, Pharaoh Ant, Harvester Ant, Carpenter Ant, and the Odorous House Ant.
ANT BIOLOGY- They belong to the order Hymenoptera along with bees and wasps. They go through Complete Metamorphosis, meaning egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The eggs are very tiny and hard to see, but the pupae are bigger and are what most people see when a nest is disturbed and they see the workers carrying off small white ant eggs. Six weeks to two months or more are required for development from the egg to the adult stage depending on specie, season, and temperature. Ants live in colonies and have a well developed caste system for dividing labor within the colony. This system is normally made up of workers, reproductive females (queens), and reproductive males (kings).
ANT CONTROL - To really control ants one of the most important steps is to improve sanitation. Try to clean up any spills and crumbs to limit their food. Seal cracks and gaps in areas where they could try to gain entry, like around doors and windows. Also try to keep trees and shrubs away from the structure because they will use them as bridges to your home or structure. To help control ants you either need an insecticide with a very long residual such as Topchoice Granules which can give you up to 52 weeks of control of Fire Ants in your yard, or a bait product that can get to the queen or queens in multiple queen colonies. Baits are generally the easiest and least expensive way to combat ants. Some excellent ant baits available are Advance Dual Choice Ant Bait Stations, Maxforce Granular Ant Bait and Stations, Niban Granular Bait, Gourmet and Maxforce Ant Bait Gels, and Drax Duel Ant Kill Gel. Here are a few things to remember for putting out these baits. First, do not spray any chemicals around them, if you smoke or have any chemicals on your hands then wear gloves when handling the bait stations, and put them as close as possible to the ant trails and/or entrances such as doors, windows, and power and cable line house connections. For Fire Ants you can use baits such as Extinguish Plus Fire Ant Bait, Maxforce Fire Ant Granular Bait, and DuPont Advion Fire Ant Bait, or you can use Topchoice Fire Ant Granules that can give you up to 52 weeks of control in your yard. Another great choice for ant control is Termidor, a newer chemical that works differently. It's applied outside along the foundation and around any other entry point such as doors, windows, vents, pipes, and especially the joint where any siding meets the foundation and the ants walk right on through it because it is non repellent so they don't even know it's there. It gets on them and they take it back to the colony where it gets shared through grooming and contact, thus wiping out the colony. Liquid residual sprays can give you some control but without getting the pesticide to the queen control can only be temporary unless you are lucky enough to find the nest and spray it directly.
Geographic Location(s): Nationwide generally. Fire ants are primarily in the Southeast and west to Texas but are still on the move.
Additional Categories
Argentine Ants
Geographic Location(s): Found throughout the U.S. but especially in the southeast U.S. and out west.
Carpenter Ants
Geographic Location(s): Found nation wide in homes, trees, or any wood structure.
Fire Ants
Geographic Location(s): Found all across the Southeast and west to Arizona. They are moving north though.
Harvester Ants
Geographic Location(s): Florida, Southeastern U.S., and out west towards Texas and Arizona.
Odorous House Ants
Geographic Location(s): Found nationwide.
Pharaoh Ants
Geographic Location(s): Found nationwide.
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