PEST CONTROL

ARGENTINE ANTS

This is our most common ant, the little blackish species that invades our homes and yards in search of food and water. Abundant in urban areas, it develops to prodigious numbers and single colonies may harbor thousands of workers. It often becomes particularly noxious at the onset of cool weather in the fall, when colonies converge and move to sheltered, warmer quarters under homes, and foraging columns begin to seek food indoors.

The species is one of the most persistent and troublesome of all our house-infesting ants. Argentine Ant workers seek out and feed on almost every type of food, although they are especially fond of sweets. Making themselves almost objectionable, the ants invade the house through minute crevices and cracks–filling along baseboards, across sinks, and over walls and tables in endless trails.

CARPENTER ANTS

Carpenter ants are easy to spot due to their distinctive appearance. Carpenter ants have robust black bodies, narrow thoraxes and long legs. They measure up to half an inch in length in the right environments and travel single file in meandering lines.

While they’re not as dangerous as termites, carpenter ants can still do a number on a house. They bore their way through wood and establish complex networks of tunnels, thereby damaging both load-bearing and cosmetic lumber. They can also cause nasty bites that irritate human skin.

Carpenter ants typically gain access to a structure through cracks in the foundation and gaps in the siding. Once inside a building, they set up shop behind the drywall inside the soft pine framing studs. They require a moderately humid environment for their eggs to hatch.