Loading... Please wait...
Ant Identification
Categories
Our Newsletter
Ant Identification
General Facts About Ants
- Social insects, ants live in colonies often numbering in the thousands.
- The colony population is fueled by the queen who lays all the eggs.
- Some species of ants have more than one queen in their colony.
- The role of the worker ants is to gather food for the colony, defend the colony and care for the queen and the queen’s young.
- Ants reproduce by budding and/or swarming.
- Commonly, ant nests consist of tunnels and chambers underground. Some species of ants make their homes out of mounds of earth known as ant hills.
- Queen ants don’t leave the nest - worker ants bring them their food. If you’re seeing an ant infestation in or around your home it is worker ants you’re looking at.
- The first step to controlling an ant infestation is identifying the type of ant species you’re dealing with. You will choose your treatment depending on what type of ant you have.
ACROBAT ANT
May vary in color from black to reddish or brown
- Two nodes
- 1/8 to 1/4 inch long
- Thorax has one pair of spines
- Uneven thorax
- 3-segmented club
- 12 antennal segments
Acrobat Ant Identification
- Viewing the abdomen from above, in an acrobat ant it will be heart-shaped.
- Acrobat ants are appropriately named because they look like tiny acrobats when disturbed – holding their abdomens above their thorax.
- Acrobat ants eat a variety of foods but prefer sweets.
When you see worker ants indoors foraging for food, you should immediately check outside for evidence of an infestation. To do this, first check the building’s foundation for evidence of worker trails. You might see trails of workers on eaves or branches touching the building. You might see ants crawling into cracks around the building.
An acrobat colony will often be found in areas that have had leaks. They may also be found around firewood that’s being stored inside and any structure that has been damaged by termites should be checked for acrobat ant colonies as well.
Acrobat ants have to clear out pieces of dirt and dead insects when infesting wood that’s been damaged by other insects, so you might find little piles of this type of debris that would indicate you have an acrobat ant colony.
To Control an Acrobat Ant Infestation
You can either apply a liquid or gel ant bait directly to the nest, if you can easily access it, but ant bait stations are also effective.
ALLEGHENY MOUND ANT
- Reddish head and black thorax
- One node
- 1/8 to ¼ inch long
- Legs and abdomen are dark
- Uneven thorax
- 12 antennal segments
- No club
- On the tip of the abdomen a circle of hairs is present
Allegheny Mound Ant Identification
- The Allegheny Mound Ant has a very noticeably uneven thorax.
- The name of this ant comes from the huge conical mounds they build. Their nests can be up to 3 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. Allegheny mound ants are almost never found inside, preferring to stay outside.
- Allegheny mound ants are omnivorous, feeding on many things including dead and live insects.
- Typically found near fields or wooded areas.
You can find the Allegheny mound ant in the upper Midwest to the New England states and as far south as Georgia.
Because the mounds are so large, there’s no problem finding them, but if you do find one mound, you should search under shrubs and anywhere else a mound may be newly formed.
Threats
Allegheny mound ants may bite if their mound is disturbed, but they don’t cause much real harm besides making lawns quite unattractive.
To Control an Allegheny Ant Infestation
If it is necessary to control, individual mounds made by the Allegheny mound ant will need to be treated directly with liquid ant bait.
## NEW ##
Ant Identification
There are many kinds of ants that may be found in and around the home and they can range in size from 1/32 to ¾ inch long, yellowish, light brown, reddish-brown, brownish-black or jet black in color. Like all insects, ants have three body parts: head, thorax and abdomen. Most ants are wingless, but you might confuse swarming, winged ants with swarming, winged termites. Ants can be easily distinguished from termites by several characteristics:
- Ant bodies appear constricted or pinched in at the waist (shaped like a figure 8), while termites do not have the waist constriction.
- Ants have elbowed antennae, while termites have straight, bead-like antennae.
- The forewings of ants are much larger than the hindwings. Termites' wings are equal in size and shape.
- Ant wings are transparent or brownish, while termite wings are milky-white or grayish and longer than the body.
- Ant wings are firmly attached, while termite wings are easily removed or shed (fall off).
What Type of Ant Do You Have?
ACROBAT ANT
May vary in color from black to reddish or brown
- Two nodes
- 1/8 to 1/4 inch long
- Thorax has one pair of spines
- Uneven thorax
- 3-segmented club
- 12 antennal segments
Acrobat Ant Identification
- Viewing the abdomen from above, in an acrobat ant it will be heart-shaped.
- Acrobat ants are appropriately named because they look like tiny acrobats when disturbed – holding their abdomens above their thorax.
- Acrobat ants eat a variety of foods but prefer sweets.
When you see worker ants indoors foraging for food, you should immediately check outside for evidence of an infestation. To do this, first check the building’s foundation for evidence of worker trails. You might see trails of workers on eaves or branches touching the building. You might see ants crawling into cracks around the building.
An acrobat colony will often be found in areas that have had leaks. They may also be found around firewood that’s being stored inside and any structure that has been damaged by termites should be checked for acrobat ant colonies as well.
Acrobat ants have to clear out pieces of dirt and dead insects when infesting wood that’s been damaged by other insects, so you might find little piles of this type of debris that would indicate you have an acrobat ant colony.
To Control an Acrobat Ant Infestation
You can either apply a liquid or gel ant bait directly to the nest, if you can easily access it, but ant bait stations are also effective.
ALLEGHENY MOUND ANT
- Reddish head and black thorax
- One node
- 1/8 to ¼ inch long
- Legs and abdomen are dark
- Uneven thorax
- 12 antennal segments
- No club
- On the tip of the abdomen a circle of hairs is present
Allegheny Mound Ant Identification
- The Allegheny Mound Ant has a very noticeably uneven thorax.
- The name of this ant comes from the huge conical mounds they build. Their nests can be up to 3 feet high and 6 feet in diameter. Allegheny mound ants are almost never found inside, preferring to stay outside.
- Allegheny mound ants are omnivorous, feeding on many things including dead and live insects.
- Typically found near fields or wooded areas.
You can find the Allegheny mound ant in the upper Midwest to the New England states and as far south as Georgia.
Because the mounds are so large, there’s no problem finding them, but if you do find one mound, you should search under shrubs and anywhere else a mound may be newly formed.
Threats
Allegheny mound ants may bite if their mound is disturbed, but they don’t cause much real harm besides making lawns quite unattractive.
To Control an Allegheny Ant Infestation
If it is necessary to control, individual mounds made by the Allegheny mound ant will need to be treated directly with liquid ant bait.