Ants

There are 12,000 different species of ants around the world and about 700 found in the United States. Learn which ants are most likely to invade homes and how to treat them by visiting the species pages below.

All ants live in colonies. The colonies consist of worker ants and queen ants. Depending on the type of ant, one colony may have many queens. A queen may live up to 25 years. Terminating the queen is the key to eliminating the colony, as the other ants cannot live without the queen. The most common types of ants in the United States are Argentine ants, bigheaded ants, fire ants, Florida carpenter ants and pharaoh’s ants.

Acrobat ants:

take over other pests’ nests and emit an offensive odor when threatened.

Allegheny Mound ants:

live in pastures where they’re free to build their large climate-controlled mounds.

Argentine ants:

live in super colonies stretching miles long and housing millions of other Argentine ants and multiple queens.

Bigheaded ants:

are found in Florida and Hawaii and are extremely disruptive in both rural and urban settings.

Carpenter ants:

large ants that prefer damp, wood-rich areas where they can create a network of tunnel nests undisturbed.

Citronella ants:

a species of moisture ant that lets off a lemony, citronella-like scent when crushed.

Field ants:

the largest group of ant species that builds outdoor nests and feeds on almost anything.

Fire ants:

are known to bite and sting humans potentially causing a severe allergic reaction.

Ghost ants:

white-bodied ants that prefer sweet food and live in hot, tropical climates like Florida and Hawaii.

Harvester ants:

poisonous western ants who gather seeds and grains to store in granaries as a future food source.

Moisture ants:

broad classification of ants that prefer to nest in areas with extremely high moisture content.

Odorous ants:

known as ‘stink ants,’ these tiny house pests release a noxious rotten coconut odor when crushed.

Pavement ants:

these tiny pests set up their nests in the cracks in patio stone and pavement.

Pharaoh ants:

build colonies inside commercial and residential establishments. These yellow ants contaminate food and spread disease.

Thief ants:

steal food from homes and feed off of protein sources such as other pests’ larvae.
 

Not only can ants be a nuisance if they get into your home, they can cause health problems. Colonies of ants are difficult to destroy alone. Call a pest control professional if you have ants around your home.

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