Wanted: Ants

About 100 PCOs met last year in San Antonio, Texas, to discuss today’s most troublesome structural pest: ants. They heard presentations from industry experts and had breakout panels that allowed them to debate the most problematic ants and how to treat for them.

According to Terminix’s Stoy Hedges’ presentation, ant control is enhanced by extending treatment from around the foundation to out in the yard. Brian Forschler of the University of Georgia said that applicators can elect to use different ant control or management strategies depending upon species and site characteristics and customer thresholds. Ants can be managed by reducing or preventing entry to a structure with exterior treatments or nests can be sought and treated. Researchers reported that baits are specific to certain species, acceptance varies by time of year and they can be adversely affected by environmental conditions, i.e., moisture and heat. Hedges said that baits are nothing new and that bait users were cautioned in the 1940s to be sure to renew baits frequently, especially during hot weather.

BASIC FACTS. A number of ant facts were discussed at the Zeneca Professional Products meeting. Here are some of them:

• Ants are social insects living in a caste system with workers, soldiers and reproductive adults;

• Ant queens are long-lived, providing thousands of eggs in their lifetime;

• Ant queens mate once and rear their first brood without additional food or water;

• Queens control the colony structure by producing different castes according to colony needs;

• Male ants are short-lived and their main function is to mate. In some species, the males do not even get to feed before death;

• Workers are sterile females and they do the work of the colony; and,

• The age of a typical ant worker determines its role in the colony:

1. Young workers care for the queen and brood;

2. Middle-age workers maintain colony condition; and,

3. Old workers (those approaching one year old) perform high-risk activities, including foraging for food and helping protect the colony.

ANT ID KEY. Here are ant identification tips and characteristics to help PCOs. More information from the Zeneca Professional Products Ant Workshop can be found on PCT’s website.

Several species are found throughout the U.S. and Canada. Workers are 1/16 to 1/8 inch long and vary greatly in color. They have heart-shaped abdomens and many species emit a bad odor when alarmed. They typically nest in wood that has been subjected to high moisture and fungal decay.

Found in the southeastern U.S., California, and several other states. Workers are about 1/16 inch long. Body color varies from light to dark brown. They emit a stale greasy musty odor when crushed. Colonies can range from a few hundred to several thousand workers and many queens. Nests may be located in moist situations near a food source, but this species can travel long distances to food if necessary. They prefer sweet foods such as sugar and syrup.

Many different species are found throughout the U.S. and Canada. Work ers are generally large but are polymorphic (vary in size). There are color variations ranging from black to combinations of red and black or completely red or brown. Their colonies can be anywhere from 3,000 to 15,000 and usually contain one wingless queen.

Found from New England west to Washington and south to Florida. Workers are about ¼ inch long with one node and are yellow-orange. The antenna has 12 segments that enlarge at the tip. They feed almost exclusively on honeydew.

Found throughout the U.S. except for the extreme Southeast, Gulf Coast states and the Pacific Northwest. This small ant is less than 1/8 inch long and brown to black in color. It has an uneven thorax, large eyes and circle of hairs at the tip of the abdomen. This species builds many small mounds in fields and near woodlands.

Found in the Gulf states, Arizona and reported in some urban areas. Workers are about 1/16 to 1/8 inch long. Their antennae and legs are very long in comparison to body size. They get their name from their habit of running around haphazardly. The colonies tend to be small, composed of up to 2,000 ants.

Found in Florida, Hawaii and a few spots in California and Manitoba, Canada. They are also reported in greenhouses in some northern states. Workers are about 1/16 inch long and are hard to see because of their pale color and tiny size. They are primarily found in subtropical areas and cannot survive in Northern states unless they have a constant heat source. Nests contain thousands of workers and numerous queens.

Found in Southeastern and Gulf Coast states and California. The less important fire ant species include the southern and tropical fire ants. Workers are about 1/16 to ¼ inch long. Their heads and thorax are usually yellowish red and their abdomens are black. They can inflict painful bites and stings and are destructive to native insects and other wildlife.

Workers are about 1/16 inch long and black. They are closely related to the Pharaoh ant and appear identical except for color. They are found throughout the U.S., especially in the eastern part of the country. They are also found in Southern California and Southeast Canada. The col-onies are moderate to large, contain many queens and are spread by swarming or budding. Inside the home, nests could be in woodwork, decaying wood or masonry. Outside, piles of brick, stone or wood can be infested.

Found throughout the U.S. and Canada. Workers are 1/16 to 1/8 inch long and are generally dark in color. They get their name from the rotten, coconut-like odor they emit. Inside they usually construct their nests in wall voids, especially around hot water pipes and heaters.

Odorous house ant colonies may be composed of several hundred to 100,000 ants and usually contain many queens.

Found in the eastern U.S. from Canada south to Florida, also in Southern California, Oregon and Washington. Workers are one size, about 1/8 inch long and are dark brown. Colonies are large with multiple queens. Nests are often found along sidewalks, foundations and drives. A characteristic of pavement ants is that they leave mounds of excavated soil. Foraging ants will enter homes but do not usually nest inside but they may invade old termite damage.

Found throughout the U.S., especially in the South. Workers are 1/16 inch long and pale with the abdomen often darker to blackish. They have been implicated in the spread of various diseases, especially in hospitals. Their colonies tend to be large with numbers ranging in size from thousands to hundreds of thousands. They are prolific with hundreds of reproductive females in each colony. They nest in humid areas, such as kitchens, bathrooms and near food sources.

Found throughout the U.S. This very small ant has two nodes and is light brown or yellow. It is often confused with the similar-sized Pharaoh ants. Thief ants have a two-segmented antenna while Pharaoh ants have a three-segmented antenna. They often steal larvae and food from other ants to feed their own colony. They prefer insects and grease. They have multiple queens and build outdoor nests under items in soil. Inside they can nest in wall voids and other areas.

A relatively small ant (1/8 inch) with yellowish-white tibia and tarsi (feet). Currently, this import from Japan is known from southern Florida, Hawaii and San Francisco. Colony size estimates vary from 400,000 to more than 1 million. They are attracted to sweet foods but have been seen in the laboratory feeding on termites and dead cockroaches.