Ants

Introduction
Carpenter ants are large (10 mm or more) black or brown ants often found in wooded areas. However, they are known to enter homes also, especially in the spring. These ants are most often seen one at a time, and they are by far the largest ants seen on the property. In the spring, you may find large numbers of flying ants. These are the reproductive members of the colony. They indicate the presence of a mature colony nearby, and this is cause for concern. This colony must be found and destroyed immediately because carpenter ants are capable of doing severe structural damage if left untreated. The good news is that can do your own carpenter ant control at a fraction of the cost of professional treatment to take care of this dangerous and costly pest!

Ants rank number one in inquiries at our Entomology office over all other household/structural pests. It is very important to have accurate ant identification in order to determine the best method of control if needed. When in doubt, collect several specimens in a watertight vial, add isopropyl or 70 percent alcohol (not water), and enclose in a crush proof box. Take to your county Extension office. A nominal fee is charged for specimen identification. Some ants are so small and similar in appearance when viewed by the naked eye, that it takes trained specialists to tell the difference between species.

Common Name	Scientific Name
Carpenter Ant	Camponotus spp.
Cornfield Ant	Lasius alienus (Foerster)
Larger Yellow Ant	Acanthomyops interjectus (Mayr.)
Pharaoh Ant	Monomorium pharaonis (Linn.)
Thief Ant	Solenopsis molesta (Say)
Pavement Ant	Tetramorium caepitum (Linn.)
Little Black Ant	Monomorium minimum (Buckley)
False Honey Ant	Prenolepis imparis (Say)
Allegheny Mound Ant	Formica exsectoides Forel
Lawn Ant	Iridomyrmex pruinosus var. analis (E. Andre)
Acrobat Ant	Cremastogaster lineolata (Say)
Odorous House Ant	Tapinoma sessile (Say)
Crazy Ant	Paratrechina longicornis (Latrielle)

Identification
There are several kinds of ants that may occur in and around the home ranging in size from about 1/32 to 3/4 inch long and colored yellowish, light brown, reddish-brown, brownish-black or jet black. Ants, as all insects, have three body parts, head, thorax, and abdomen. Most are wingless, but the homeowner sometimes may confuse swarming, winged ants with swarming, winged termites, causing alarm. Ants can be easily distinguished from termites by several characteristics:

Ant bodies appear constricted or pinched in at the waist, 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 hind wings. 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).

Differences between a winged termite and a winged ant.

Life Cycle and Habits
Ants are social insects that live in colonies or nests usually located in the soil near the house foundation, under concrete slabs, in crawlspaces, in structural wood, in the yard or garden, in trees and in other protected places. Ants have three castes, namely queens, males and workers. Queens and males are the reproductive. Workers are sterile wingless females. New ant colonies are started by a single fertilized queen that lays eggs and tends her brood (larvae and pupae) that develops into worker ants. Tending of the brood is then taken over by the worker, which may shift the brood from place to place as moisture and temperature fluctuate in the nest. When workers forage for food for the queen and her young, they often may enter houses and become a nuisance by their presence and contaminate food.

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