Identifying ant species can be challenging as some of them have similar characteristics. In many cases, the best way to identify ant species is by taking the help of a pest control expert. Nevertheless, one can identify some of the common ant species found in and around your home without a microscope.
Once you find the ant species living inside your home, you can determine their nest location, their diet, and the general damage it can cause.
Common Household Ants:
Red imported fire ants:
Red imported fire ants have a reddish-brown color and double pedicle. The worker ants can range between 1/16th to 3/16th inch in length.
Fire ants make no visible entrance holes with conspicuous mounds.
These ants are aggressive and sting powerfully to the victim if their nests are disturbed. Fire ants typically nest outdoors. They will invade your home in search of food and water.
Carpenter Ants:
Carpenter Ants have a solid black, brown, and red-orange color. They can range between 1/4th to half-inch in length. They have a single pedicle with a smooth curved thorax.
Carpenter ants are nocturnal creatures. They usually come out in the night to follow trails and forage for food sources. These ants do not sting but bite.
Inside your home, they nest in hollow doors, boxes, and walls.
Acrobat Ants:
Acrobat Ants are medium-sized ants often confused with carpenter ants. Upon close inspection, they are distinct from carpenter ants. Acrobat ants have two pedicles and two spines on the thorax.
These creatures are active during the day. When you disturb their nests, they will create a defensive posture by lifting gasters into the air.
These ant species nest outdoors in the trees, but indoors they are found in the wall insulations.
Pharaoh Ants:
Pharaoh Ants have a yellowish color with dark-tipped gasters. These ants are 1/32th inch in length.
These ants have two pedicles and love to nest in a dark place. They are found nesting in cardboard boxes, electrical boxes, and voids.
Pharaoh ants love to eat sugary and high protein food for their survival.
Crazy Ants:
Crazy ants are known for their erratic trailing movements. They have many hairs on their body, with four hair on the top of their thorax. Crazy Ants show no sign of stopping because of their long legs and antennae.
During warmer and humid days, it infests in buildings and old structures. Indoors, look for the soil in the potted plants.
Odorous Ants:
Odorous Ants are hidden from above and difficult to see. These ants have a single pedicle and are medium-sized. They have a smooth body with few hairs.
These ants love to nest under the stones and mulch. When indoors, they nest under carpets, in bricks, wall voids, and other interior locations.
Wrapping up:
These were some of the commonly found ants in and around your home.
If you want to ensure which species of ants have invaded your home, call a professional pest control expert to understand more about these common species.
