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 reproductives.
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 develop 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.
Carpenter Ant
These ants are the largest found in Ohio and rank number one in
inquiries over all other ants. They are a nuisance by their presence
when found in parts of the home such as the kitchen, bathroom,
living room and other quarters. They do not eat wood, but remove
quantities of it to expand their nest size, sometimes causing
structural damage. Winged males are smaller than winged queens.
Wingless queens measure 5/8 inch, winged queens 3/4 inch, large
major workers 1/2 inch and small minor workers 1/4 inch. Workers
have some brown on them, while queens are black. Workers have
large heads and a small thorax while adult swarmers have a smaller
head and large thorax. The petiole has one node and the profile
of the thorax has an evenly rounded upper surface (workers only).
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Cornfield Ant
Nests are very commonly found in fields, lawns, between bricks
in the walk, beneath rocks, in pavement cracks, etc. Numerous
mounds of its nests are commonly seen in the lawn. They invade
the home for sweets. They live on nectar of flowers, live and
dead insects and are very fond of honeydew. They collect the eggs
of corn root aphids, storing them in burrows during the winter,
then in the spring, carry young to the roots of corn. Yellowish,
retarded corn and the presence of anthills around the injured
corn plants are evidence of this dependent relation between the
ant and aphids. They also transport strawberry root aphids to
the crowns and roots of strawberries. Workers are about 1/10 to
1/4 inch long, light to dark brown, soft-bodied, robust, one node
petiole (long pointed segment), 12-segmented antennae, without
an antennal club, with the anal opening at the end of the abdomen,
circular, and surrounded by a fringe of hairs. They have large
eyes on the head and, when crushed, emit a strong odor of "formic
acid."
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Larger Yellow Ant
These ants are often mistaken for winged termites since the winged
adults swarm through cracks in basement walls or floors, crawl
around and are attracted to lights. They live in the soil next
to the building foundation, under basement floors, in concrete
voids or in rotting wood, and feed on honeydew of subterranean
aphids and mealybugs, which live on the roots of shrubs planted
near residences. Winged forms are dark brown or blackish-brown
with brownish, somewhat clouded wings and bodies measuring 3/8
to 1/4 inch long to the wing tips. Workers are pale yellowish-brown,
about 5/32 to 3/16 inch long. They cluster around cracks and crevices
and, when crushed, give off a strong odor, smelling like "citronella"
or a certain kind of toilet soap. They are smooth, shiny, quite
hairy, have 12-segmented antennae, one node petiole (long, pointed
segment), small eyes on the head, uneven thorax profile and the
anal opening at the end of the abdomen is circular surrounded
by a fringe of hairs. Workers stay underground during the day
and forage at night.
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Pharaoh Ant
This ant is a serious nuisance in hospitals, rest homes, apartment
dwellings, hotels, grocery stores, food establishments, etc. They
feed on jellies, honey, shortening, peanut butter, corn syrup,
fruit juices, soft drinks, greases, dead insects, and even shoe
polish. They have been found in surgical wounds, I.V. glucose
solutions, and sealed packs of sterile dressing in hospitals.
These ants are capable of mechanically transmitting diseases,
Staphylecoccus and Psuedomonas infections in hospitals. Workers
are very small about 1/16 inch long, light yellow to reddish-brown
colored with the hind portion of the abdomen somewhat darker.
The petiole has two nodes and the thorax is spineless. The antennae
has 12 segments with the antennal club composed of three segments.
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Thief Ant or Grease Ant
These ants are prevalent around kitchen sinks and in the cupboards,
feeding on grease, oils, cheese, meat, dead insects, etc. They
don't seem to feed on sweets. Workers are very small ants, about
1/32 to 1/20 inch long, smooth, shiny, yellowish to bronze colored
with two nodes in the petiole, a 10- segmented antennae with a
two segmented club, thorax without spines and small eyes on the
head. It nests in the soil or wood, robs the food and brood of
other ants, hollows out seeds for the oil content and may feed
on dead rodents.
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Pavement Ant
This is one of the most common tiny house-invading ants in Ohio
with nests usually found outdoors under stones, in pavement cracks,
along the curb edges and in crevices of masonry and woodwork.
Pavement ants may forage in the home throughout the year, feeding
on grease, meat, live and dead insects, honeydew, roots of plants
and planted seeds. Workers are sluggish, between 1/12 to 1/4 inch
long, light to dark brown or blackish, hairy, 12-segmented antennae
with a three segmented club, a pair of short spines at the rear
of the thorax, two nodes in the petiole, pale legs and antennae,
and the head and thorax furrowed with parallel lines or grooves
running top to bottom. In winter, nests may be found in the home
near a heat source.
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Little Black Ant
These are the common house ants which nest in woodwork, masonry,
soil and rotted wood. They feed on sweets, meats, vegetables,
honeydew and other insects. Workers are about 1/8 inch long, slender,
shiny black, sometimes dark brown with two nodes in the petiole
and a 12-segmented antennae with a three segmented club. Nests
in the ground are detected by the very small craters of fine soil.
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False Honey Ant or Small Honey Ant
These ants, sometimes called "cold weather ants," normally
nest outdoors in the soil, but occasionally can be found in kitchens
feeding on food and beverages. They forage along scent (pheromone)
trails on counter tops with 12 or more ants in a line. Workers
vary from light to dark brown (almost black) in color, are very
shiny, have a triangular abdomen and are about 1/8 inch long.
The petiole has one node, the profile of the thorax is uneven
and the first antennal segment (scape) is longer than the head.
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Allegheny Mound Ant
This ant normally lives outdoors with nests consisting of huge
conical mounds, sometimes measuring nearly three feet high by
six feet in diameter. Undoubtedly, some enter homes occasionally
since they are fond of sweets, but normally attend honeydew-secreting
insects on plants and are predaceous on other insects. Workers
are about 1/4 inch long with a blackish-brown abdomen and legs,
while the head and thorax are rust red. New colonies are founded
by extension of or breaking off from existing colonies when workers
migrate away with one or more queens. Related field ants may be
brown, black, red or of various combinations of these colors.
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Lawn Ant
This ant nests in well-drained, clay or gravelly soil and makes
the well-known small anthills with a central entrance. Workers
are about 1/4 inch long, yellowish in color occurring in lawns,
golf courses, pastures, under walks or stones and on trees. The
abdomen is light tan with a darker brown band on each segment
on the under and hind region. The head, thorax and legs are slightly
darker orange-brown than the abdomen.
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Acrobat Ant
These ants may invade the home for food (sweets and meat). They
feed on sweet juices such as honeydew of aphids, nectar, plant
sap, etc. They build "cowsheds or tents" of plant or
earthen material over aphids, which they tend. Workers are about
1/8 to 1/4 inch long, light brownish-yellow, and are recognized
by a heart-shaped abdomen, flattened on the upper surface and
curved below. They have a two node petiole attached to the upper
part of the abdomen and a pair of spines on the thorax. When disturbed,
they elevate their abdomens, directing them forward in an acrobatic
manner and bite fiercely. They nest under wood, such as stumps,
under boards, in hollow trees, under trash, rocks, in windows
and door frames. They have an objectionable odor.
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Odorous House Ant
These ants occasionally forage indoors for sweets and other foods.
They give off an unpleasant odor when crushed, smelling like "rotten
coconuts." Workers are brown to dark-brown in color, about
1/10 inch long. The petiole has one node (hidden by the abdomen)
and the profile of the thorax is uneven.
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Crazy Ant
These ants will feed on sweets and kitchen scraps, but prefer
to feed on animal matter and insects such as fly larvae and adults.
Ants present the appearance of running aimlessly about a room
and, thus, named "crazy." Workers are about 1/10 inch
long, with slender long legs, dark brown to black in color, one
node petiole, the profile of the thorax not evenly rounded, and
the abdomen tip has a circular fringe of hairs.
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Control Measures
The most important step in ant control is to locate the nest and
destroy the colony. Sometimes a chunk of jelly, spoonful of honey,
pile of sugar or piece of bacon, placed near the site where ants
are found, will attract them and help in locating their nest.
Once the route is discovered, treatment can be made in the crack
or crevice, greatly reducing or eliminating the problem.
In the Home (Indoors)
Never treat entire walls, floors, countertops, cupboards, etc.
Apply all insecticides only as crack, crevice or hole treatments,
avoiding food, children and pet contamination. Dusts, such as
bendiocarb (Ficam), chlorpyrifos (Dursban) or boric acid (Borid),
puffed into holes can give good coverage of voids where ants can
be killed or carry the chemical back into the nest, killing others.
Apply in light amounts. Aerosol sprays can be applied, but dispersal
or area coverage may not be quite as good. The use of a paintbrush
to apply a thin layer of an oil-based insecticide into cracks
along baseboards, window and door frames, around plumbing or heating
pipes, etc., can be effective.
Depending on the kinds of ants, certain commercial baits can
be ingested by workers, taken back to the nest for consumption
or regurgitated to feed and kill others in the colony. Commercial
bait syrups such as borax (Terro) will kill ants that feed on
sweets. Toxic fast-acting baits kill foraging workers quickly,
but are less effective as those that are slow-acting, which are
taken back to the nest for consumption. Place baits directly on
the ant trails away from children and pets. Other baits include
boric acid plus mint apple jelly (Drax), hydramethylnon (Maxforce),
methroprene (Pharorid), bendiocarb (Ficam), propoxur (Baygon)
and sulfluramid (Pro-Control).
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House Foundation Spray (Outdoors)
To prevent ants from entering the house, use a perimeter spray,
treating the foundation as high as two feet and out three feet
into the soil, especially around windows, doors, etc. with the
insecticide mixed in water, preferably as a wettable powder formulation,
to avoid plant injury. Dursban, Diazinon or Baygon give good control.
In the Yard and Garden (Outdoors)
Ants can injure plants by tunneling around the roots, causing
them to dry out. Sprays or dusts, applied directly in the ant
mounds and around the area a few feet, will eliminate the problem.
If needed, repeat the application according to the label directions
and safety precautions. Again, Dursban, Diazinon, Baygon, carbaryl
(Sevin), and bendiocarb (Ficam) will kill ants.
On Trees and Shrubs (Outdoors)
Eliminate aphids, mealybugs and scale that secrete honeydew to
reduce ants. Apply similar insecticides as for the yard and garden
to tree trunks, shrubs, bushes and the soil to kill foraging workers.
Use insecticide formulations that will not cause tree and shrub
injury.
Labeled Insecticides
There are literally hundreds of insecticide formulations labeled
for ant control. Some are labeled for general use (homeowners)
while others are restricted use (licensed pesticide applicators
only).
In many cases, once an ant infestation has been found, control
measures are best accomplished by a licensed, professional pest
control firm. Homeowners often do not have the experience, availability
of certain insecticides and equipment needed to perform the job
effectively on certain ant species.
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