Ants

About 100 different species of ants occur in Missouri. About one-fourth of these may enter homes, but only about a dozen are common house pests. Below we cover the most common. The pharaoh ant, carpenter ants and the odorous house ant readily nest indoors as well as outside.

Odorous House Ant
Tapinoma sessile : Odorous House Ant
Characteristics – Size: About 1/8-inch long.
Color: Brown.
If crushed, the workers give off a rotten coconut odor, hence their name.
Behavior – Odorous house ants may develop huge colonies containing thousands of workers and numerous queens. This species may be difficult to control and does not feed much on ant baits. The keys to control are to find the colonies and subcolonies and treat them directly. Regular inspections and service are necessary to find and treat new colonies as they move in from neighboring properties. The services of a professional, such as X-Terminators LLC, are very helpful when encountering these ants.

Habitat – This species is common in California north to Washington and is the most common pest ant in the mid-south region of Arkansas and West Tennessee. They may be encountered occasionally throughout the Midwestern United States. These ants nest outdoors under items on the ground, within landscape mulch, beneath loose bark on trees, under ground cover, in potted plants, and within piles of items, such as lumber, firewood, or bricks. Nests may readily be established inside homes, in walls, beneath carpeting, and other suitable voids or spaces.

Tips for Control – This ant can be difficult to control because it establishes multiple subcolonies and may nest in such a wide variety of sites. The keys to control are to find the colonies and subcolonies and treat them directly. Where the colonies cannot be found, baits may be attempted; however, several baits may be required before positive results are seen. Regular inspections and service are necessary to find and treat new colonies as they move in from neighboring properties. The services of a professional, such as X-Terminators, are very helpful when encountering these ants.

• General tips for limiting ant infestations include:
• Eliminate piles of lumber, bricks, or other debris that could serve as a nesting site for ants.
• Keep landscape mulch less than 2 inches thick and at least 12 inches away from foundations.
• Ensure the sprinkler system does not spray directly onto the foundation.
• Seal as many cracks in the building's exterior as possible.
• Keep tree and shrub branches trimmed to prevent them from touching the building.

• They differ considerably from most house-infesting species in their biology and control.
• They have a complex social structure usually consisting of a wingless worker caste composed entirely of sterile females and a reproductive caste made up of winged, fertile males and females. But some species do not have a worker caste, and some reproductives do not have wings.
• Ants have a slender "waist," or pedicel, of 1 or 2 beadlike or scalelike segments between the thorax and abdomen and are recognized by their characteristic evenly rounded thorax when viewed from the side. They differ from wasps in having distinctly elbowed antennae. Ants live in colonies in underground tunnels or in galleries in dead wood.
• From time to time, winged males and females emerge from the nest and perform a brief mating flight. After mating, the males die, and the females lose their wings and return to the ground to start a new colony. Workers gather food, maintain and defend the nest, and tend eggs, larvae, and pupae.
• Most species are predators or scavengers, but a few harvest seeds, visit clusters of aphids to eat their sweet secretions, raise fungus for food in small underground gardens, or eat leaves cut from plants. Some species produce eggs, which are eaten by the queen and workers.
• When disturbed, most ants are capable of "biting" or "stinging" people. Warning These ants will bite if aggravated.

• Thought to have come to North America from Africa, The pharaoh ant is particularly difficult to control. It is most often found nesting in the walls or other locations in institutional buildings such as hospitals and schools. It may also be found in individual homes.
• These ants generally come into a structure via items shipped or brought in from an infested location.
• In the Pacific Northwest, the climate is too cool in the winter for them to survive out of doors. Inside, they can nest in wall voids, behind baseboards, under furniture, or under stored items in cabinets or closets.
• Food sources range from sweets to protein-based foods. Pharaoh ants can only be effectively controlled through a comprehensive baiting program.
• Treatment with liquid insecticides actually makes the infestation worse by causing the ants to "bud" or "split" into several smaller satellite colonies.
• There are many excellent baits on the market for pharaoh ant control. The more successful baits contain pulverized silk worm cocoons as an attractant. They also contain a slow acting poison that gives the worker ants time to get back to the colony and feed them. The silk worm cocoon seems to be one of the only attractants for pharaoh that works. Again, it must be emphasized that spraying makes pharaoh ants worse.

• Yellow Crazy Ants are yellow-brownish in color. Crazy ants (Paratrechina longicornis) were introduced to the United States from India. Their distribution is limited to the Gulf coast from Florida to Texas. They are easily identified by their long legs and their habit of erratically moving from place to place (hence the name "crazy"). Crazy ant trails are not readily obvious because of this erratic movement. The easiest way to find the nest is to look for workers carrying pieces of food or workers with swollen abdomens. These ants are carrying food back to the nest. By observing their movement, it should be possible to find the nest. Crazy ants are highly adaptable and will nest in a variety of locations, from very dry to moist. They will nest under objects, in rotten wood or trash, in tree cavities, as well as in debris left standing in buildings for long periods of time.
• These ants feed on a variety of foods including grease, sweets, and other insects. In some areas they are considered a biological control agent for houseflies. They also tend aphids and scales to feed on their honeydew. While crazy ants need moisture, elimination of water by itself will not get rid of these ants since they can survive under a wide range of conditions. Elimination of food sources and nest sites are equally important in the management of this ant.
• This species may be difficult to control and does not feed much on ant baits. Surrounding buildings with vegetation-free barriers such as stone or brick (but not wood mulch) will help keep ants from entering buildings to nest.

Little Black Ant
Normally nests outdoors but readily adapts to the household situation. Description: Worker 1/16" (1.5-2 mm). Slender, smooth, with sparse body hair. Shiny black to dark brown. 1-segmented "waist" (pedicel) between thorax and abdomen.

• Antennae 12-segmented, 1st long, last 3 form club. Food Sweet substances, meat fragments, cooked vegetables, other human food. Life Cycle Nests are constructed below ground, raising small craters around opening at the surface, or in rotting wood. Queen feeds 1st brood, then workers take over, tending young and feeding queen.
• One of the most common ants in homes, this insect is active day and night and is often seen carrying particles of food many feet back to its nest.
• Because there are usually no winged females, these ants do not have nuptial flights. The Pharaoh's Ant (M. pharaonis), same size, is pale brown to reddish and more hairy. It nests in woodwork and partitions, where it is a troublesome pest
• Infestations of little black ants often require patience and skill to follow the trails back to the nest. The type of treatment used depends on the location of the nest (e.g., inside wood, within a brick pile, etc.). Baits can be effective but require persistence and follow-up to achieve results. General tips for limiting ant infestations include:
• Eliminating piles of lumber, bricks, or other debris that could serve as a nesting site for ants.
• Keeping landscape mulch less than 2 inches thick and at least 12 inches away from foundations.
• Ensuring the sprinkler system does not spray directly onto the foundation.
• Sealing as many cracks in the building's exterior as possible.
• Keeping tree and shrub branches trimmed to prevent touching the building.
• Considering re-landscaping to avoid using plants that are prone to aphids and similar insects. At the very least, treat such plants for aphids regularly.

Pavement Ant
Pavement Ants (Tetramorium caespitum) are small pests (ranging from 1/10 to 1/16 inches in length) that can be found in many parts of the United States, as far north as Canada and as far south as Florida. These pests also thrive in parts of California, Mid-West and Southeastern United States.

• Pavement ants were introduced to the United States from Europe and occur throughout the eastern United States. They build nests along sidewalks, building foundations, and under stones, boards, bricks, and mulch or leaf piles; and occasionally in walls of house.
• Each individual colony contains thousands of workers, multiple queens and is usually located at one particular site; White Footed Ants and Carpenter Ants can have satellite colonies or build huge nests that cover hundreds of feet.
• This is a two-node ant (has two segments or nodes on its pedicel) and is dark brown in color. Its antennae has 12 segments (which ends in a 3 segmented club) and its thorax has one set of spines. The first physical characteristic noticed (when viewed under a microscope or 30x lens) is the lines which seem to have been sculptured on the ant's head. These grooves are evident on the head and thorax.
• Pavement ants are one of the most common small ants invading homes. These ants readily make trails to and from food sources and often forage along the edge of carpeting or baseboards. They are also common around the base of toilets. They often nest in protected areas so the nests may be hard to locate, but this is essential to manage infestations of this species. There can be several thousand in a colony.
• Regular inspections and service are necessary to find and treat new colonies as they move in from neighboring properties. The services of a professional are very helpful when encountering these ants.
• General tips for limiting ant infestations include:
• Eliminate piles of lumber, bricks, or other debris that could serve as a nesting site for ants.
• Keep landscape mulch less than 2 inches thick and at least 12 inches away from foundations.
• Ensure the sprinkler system does not spray directly onto the foundation.
• Seal as many cracks in the building's exterior as possible.
• Keep tree and shrub branches trimmed to prevent them from touching the building.

Crematogaster spp. Acrobat Ant

• Characteristics –
  Size: Ranges from 1/8-inch to more than 1/4-inch in length. The most commonly encountered species are found at the smaller end of this size scale.
• Color: Ranges from black to dark brown to red and black. The smaller species are typically uniformly dark in color. A larger species, common in Texas, is red and black.
• Acrobat ants are identifiable by the heart shape of their abdomen when viewed from above. They will sting and bite, and occasionally invades homes for food.
• Behavior – When excited or disturbed, the acrobat ant workers run about with their abdomens held high above their heads. Like most ants, acrobat ants establish well-defined trails between the nest and food and water sources. They feed on a wide variety of foods, but the workers are partial to the sweet honeydew produced by aphids, scales, and mealybugs found feeding on many trees and plants. Fruit trees, roses, and many shrubs serve as hosts for aphids and may contribute to ant infestations in homes and other buildings. Most infestations inside are the result of workers searching for food.
• Habitat – Acrobat ants are like carpenter ants in that they prefer to nest in moist or rotted wood. Colonies are most often found in tree holes, dead limbs, stumps, and logs. Rotting areas in fences, decks, and railings may also be nesting locations. Most infestations of acrobat ants originate from outdoor nests; however, if moist or rotted wood exists inside due to water leaks, this ant will readily nest indoors. Such interior nests are typically found around the perimeter -- in soffits, door frames, and skylights.
• Tips for Control –
  • Acrobat ants are controlled by finding and treating wood where the ant colonies are located. Often, the nest may be located far above the ground in a tree where it is inaccessible to direct treatment. In such cases, limiting interior invasion of ant trails is critical. Repairing water leaks and drying out moist wood inside will help prevent infestations of both acrobat and carpenter ants. Improving attic and crawl space ventilation is also important in limiting acrobat ant infestations. General tips for limiting ant infestations include:
  • Eliminating piles of lumber, bricks, or other debris that could serve as a nesting site for ants.
  • Keeping landscape mulch less than 2 inches thick and at least 12 inches away from foundations.
  • Ensuring the sprinkler system does not spray directly onto the foundation.
  • Sealing as many cracks in the building's exterior as possible.
  • Keeping tree and shrub branches trimmed to prevent touching the building.
  
  
  
  
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