FALSE HONEY ANT

• Very shiny
• Range from light to dark brown in color
• 1/8 inch long
• 1st antennal segment longer than the head
• Petiole has one node
• Uneven thorax
• Distinctive hourglass shape

False Honey Ant Identification

• The false honey ant can be found throughout the United States, in Southern Ontario and in Mexico.
• The false honey ant generally appears to be very darkly colored in the middle and pale at its extremities.
• False honey ants forage on scent trails. They feed on food and drink in the kitchen where you can find trails of false honey ants on counter tops, generally with 12 or more ants in line.
• Sometimes called “cold weather ants,” the false honey ant usually nests outside in the soil and occasionally under rocks.
• They will often nest deep underground, remaining inactive during the summer, and returning to normal activity when the weather is cooler.

To Control a False Honey Ant Infestation

If you notice a false honey ant infestation in your home, put out ant bait stations.

LITTLE BLACK ANT

• Shiny black in color
• Workers are 1/8 inch long, queens are 2-3 times as long
• 12-segmented antennae
• 3-segmented club
• Two-nodes in petiole
• Uneven thorax
• Thorax is smooth with no spines

Little Black Ant Identification

• Little black ants are very common and are usually seen following well-defined trails between food and water sources and their nest.
• The little black ant is frequently found inside dwellings.
• The little black ant nests in rotted wood, masonry, soil and in woodwork.
• This ant feeds on meats, vegetables, other insects, honeydew and sweets.
• The little black ant’s nests in the ground can be identified by very small craters of fine soil.
• Little black ant infestations can often be started when they feed on aphids near fruit trees, flowering shrubs and roses around your home.
• You will often find part of, or an entire colony, established under carpet near your doorway if it’s close to a food source.

To Control a Little Black Ant Infestation

Ant bait stations can be effective against a little black ant infestation.

ODOROUS HOUSE ANT

• Brown to dark brown in color
• 1/16 – 1/8 inch long
• One node
• 12-segmented antennae
• No club
• No stinger
• Slit-like opening at tip of abdomen, no circle of hair
• Uneven thorax with no spines
• When crushed, they give off an unpleasant odor
• When alarmed, workers run around with their abdomens raised

Odorous House Ant Identification

• Found across the United States.
• Odorous house ants will occasionally forage indoors for food.
• This ant is very social and colonies can have up to 100,000 members.
• When crushed, the odorous house ant gives off an odor similar to rotten coconuts.
• Swarmers are seen outside from May to mid-July
• If this ant has nested indoors, it will usually be in a wall void around hot water pipes, heaters or in crevices near sinks or cupboards.
• The odorous house ant prefers to eat sweets but will eat any foods with a high protein content such as meats, cheese and grease.
• Outdoors, the odorous house ant may be found in the nest of larger ants, mostly under objects. Odorous house ants are most likely to enter a building if their food supply is reduced in rainy weather or in autumn because of leaf fall.

Threat

The odorous house ant poses no harm except for possible contamination of your food source by leaving their waste behin

To Control an Odorous House Ant Infestation

To destroy an odorous house ant infestation, you must know where their nest is and treat it directly with a liquid or gel ant bait, though several ant bait stations can also be effective.  Some people feel this is a very difficult ant to control and is probably the #1 challenge for most people.

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