Remove Pesky Ants From Your Home & Kitchen
Expert Pest Control Services In Missouri
Among pest species, ants are one of the biggest nuisances to Missouri homeowners. They will mooch food in your pantry or kitchen, potentially spreading disease and contaminating your groceries. Some species, like carpenter ants, can cause serious damage to your home or other buildings. Don’t put up with these relentless pests invading your Missouri home. Instead, learn how to identify an ant problem and call your friend in the pest control business, Steve’s Pest Control, for a complete ant elimination service.
HOW TO TELL IF I HAVE AN ANT INFESTATION IN MY HOME
Expert Pest Control Services In Missouri
An obvious sign of ants in your home or business is visibly catching them as they walk to and from your space. Sometimes they aren’t so easy to catch due to their sneakiness and small size. Some other signs of an ant infestation include:
- Ant mounds made of dirt inside and around the perimeter
- Sawdust trails indicate you have carpenter ants in your structure
- Pieces of wings lying around corners and window sills (could also be termites)
- Foul smells of rotten food, which could mean you have odorous house ants
Ant Identification
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants in Missouri are relatively large. Known mostly by their size and color, these insects are commonly black, however, their color can range from black to red or even solid red. They have one segment to their waist and a long abdomen containing lightly-colored dull hairs. Though their name suggests otherwise, they do not eat wood and instead feed on plant juices, as well as other insects. Black carpenter ants bite and can spray formic acid, but they do not possess the ability to sting their prey. Most carpenter ant species establish their first nest in decayed wood and later expand or enlarge this into sound wood. Inside structures, nests are located in wood (preferably softened by fungus rot or water damage), in insulation, or crawl spaces. When living outside, nests are typically found in rotting fence posts, stumps, old firewood, dead portions of standing trees, and under stones or fallen logs. Swarming carpenter ants can appear inside homes and structures in Missouri during the fall and spring seasons. Swarming black carpenter ants can easily be mistaken for swarming termites if found inside homes and structures.
Field Ants
Field ants in Missouri are large, about 3/8 inches, and often confused with carpenter ants. They can be black, brown, tan, reddish, or red and black in color. Sometimes, field ants are called thatching ants because of their habit of constructing a mound of thatch or plant material. They are common around Missouri structures but are not often found inside. They are soil nesters and may construct mounds in open fields. In lawns, their nests have a low profile, rarely reaching above the top of the grass. They also nest under objects like rocks, landscape timbers and firewood piles. Displaced soil is often evident. Items such as stones, logs, and bricks should be overturned and inspected for colonies underneath. Field ants don’t invade homes very often, but sometimes they infest Missouri houses because they are searching for sweets.
Odorous House Ants
What’s that smell? Is there an odor like rotten coconuts or blue cheese lingering in your Missouri home or business? This could mean you have odorous house ants hiding around. They are small workers, around 1/16-inch to 1/8-inch in size and dark brown to black. Odorous house ants are the most common ant species to invade homes in Missouri and the central U.S. These ants can nest in a wide variety of places both indoors and outdoors. They commonly construct shallow nests in the soil underneath objects such as stones, patio blocks and debris. Inside, they prefer areas with moisture, such as around hot water pipes and heaters, but will also nest in crevices around sinks and cabinets. These insects start foraging when temperatures are cooled down to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. You can commonly find their trails along foundations, flower beds, sidewalks and driveways. Odorous house ants prefer sweet items to feed on inside and around Missouri homes, but also eat foods with high protein content and grease such as meat and cheese. Outside your home, they will feed on honeydew, which they get from aphids.
Acrobat Ants
Acrobat ants are very small; about 5.4 millimeters in length or less! Their name derives from the fact that these flexible little insects can reach their abdomen over the thorax and head. They like to nest in moist areas and often can be found nesting behind siding, near a leaking roof, under rocks and in stumps or wood piles by Missouri homes. These pests also like to nest in damaged areas made by other insects. They like to eat sweets and meat in house kitchens, and when disturbed, they emit an unpleasant odor.
Pavement Ants
Pavement ants are two and a half to three millimeters long and are light brown to black in color. Their appendages are lighter in color than the rest of their bodies and have parallel lines on their head and thorax. Pavement ants in feed on a variety of foods, including other insects (dead or alive), plant juices, sugary foods, and foods high in protein. These pests will establish chemical trails from their colony to their food source and often infest kitchens, patios, and other similar areas. They often nest beneath rocks, concrete, and in walls and floors.
Pharaoh Ants
Despite their larger-than-life name, pharaoh ants are quite small at approximately two millimeters long. They are yellow-bodied with black and red markings on their abdomen. These insects will typically nest in hidden, well-protected areas such as walls, voids, behind baseboards, in insulation and other warm areas inside a Missouri building. They prefer sweet foods but will also eat other insects. Pharaoh ants can spread disease and cause contamination, so it’s important to call pest control right away if you catch them in your home.
If you have an ant problem, contact us at Steve’s Pest Control today to eliminate these pests before they take over your home, restaurant or business.
Common causes of an ant infestation
Expert Pest Control Services In Missouri
Ants are simple creatures. They want food, water, and shelter like any other pests. There are several reasons you could be dealing with an ant problem in your residential or commercial property, such as:
- Too much food left out on counters
- Greasy or moist areas around the house
- Leaky pipes and faucets
- Expired food or open products in your pantry or refrigerator
- Rotten wood surrounding or inside your structure
How Can Homeowners Prevent Ants in the House
Expert Pest Control Services In Missouri
It is not impossible to prevent ants from invading your home or business. Keeping up with simple house cleaning is already a major step in keeping ants away, though they are crafty insects and could find a way in even after following all these preventative measures. You can prevent ants by:
- Keeping track of food sources such as produce and meats
- Consistently wiping down counters
- Cleaning your sink regularly
- Fixing leaking pipes in your home
- Taking care of the trash regularly
- Making sure your pets aren’t attracting ants by leaving food or treats around the house
