Ant Facts & Information

Protect your home or business from ants by learning techniques for identification and control

Family Formicidae

IDENTIFY

Types of Ants

What do ants look like?

Adult ants species come in a variety of shapes and sizes but each will be one of three different colony castes; queens, workers or males. Queens are fertile females that lay all the eggs in a colony. Workers are wingless females that gather food, feed larvae, maintain the nest, defend the colony, and do not reproduce. Male ants are winged and their only job is to mate with the queens during the swarming process.

Ants That Bite or Sting

  • Acrobat Ant

    Crematogaster spp.

  • Army Ant

    Ecitoninae spp.

  • Carpenter Ants

    Camponotus spp.

  • Cow Killer Ant

    Dasymutilla occidentalis

Ants That Bite or Sting

  • Allegheny Mound Ant

    Formica exsectoides

  • Argentine Ant

    Linepithema humile

  • Bigheaded Ant

    Pheidole spp.

  • Citronella Ant

    Lasius interjectus

Ant Treatment

How do I get rid of ants?

How Orkin Helps Get Rid Of Ants?

Getting rid of ants and keeping them out of homes and buildings is an ongoing process, not a one-time treatment. Orkin Pros are trained to help manage different types of ants and ant infestation. Since every home or building is different, it’s important to understand ant facts and properly identify ants in order to help manage the situation.

By using Orkin’s exclusive A.I.M. solution, a continuing cycle of three critical steps — Assess, Implement and Monitor — your Orkin Pro will design a unique ant control and treatment program to help you repel ants inside your house or anywhere else they may be. With expert knowledge and the proper equipment, you can rely on our ant exterminators to successfully help you deal with ant- and other pest-related problems.

Find a branch closest to you for help from an Orkin Pro today.

Call us 225 5527

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 FAQs

  • Poor sanitation is the primary cause of ant infestations. Leaving dirty dishes in the sink, food residue on countertops, crumbs on the floor and trash not frequently emptied provide food sources for meal-seeking ants. What starts with a few foragers entering a home can become a major problem if ants establish colonies in walls, lawns, or under home foundations.

  • Ant control can be difficult, but there are some things you should know about how ants’ behavior can lead to big headaches for you and your home:

    • Entry: Ants can enter through even the tiniest cracks, seeking water and sweet or greasy food substances in the kitchen pantry or storeroom areas.

    • Scent trails: Ants leave an invisible chemical trail which contains pheromones for others to follow once they locate the food source.

    • Nest locations: They can nest about anywhere in and around your house; in lawns, walls, stumps, even under foundations.

    • Colony size: Colonies can number up to 300,000 to 500,000, and whole colonies can uproot and relocate quickly when threatened.

    • Colony Lifetime: A colony can live a relatively long lifetime. Worker ants may live seven years, and the queen may live as long as 15 years.

    • Do it yourself effectiveness: Most do-it-yourself ant control approaches kill only the ants you see. Some truly effective treatments can penetrate and destroy nests to help prevent these pests from returning. Also, home remedies don’t account for the fact that different kinds of ant infestations require different treatments.

  • Yes, some ants are venomous. Ant bites and stings can cause serious symptoms and illness associated with allergic reactions and hypersensitivity to ant venom. Perhaps the most recognized reactions are seen when fire ants sting a person, particularly children, who are hypersensitive to the ant’s venom. Such occurrences may result in serious, maybe even life-threatening conditions. These stings generally create lesions and may also involve intense pain, swelling, itching and potential of anaphylaxis, a life threatening reaction that causes shock. In addition, secondary infections to ant bites and stings can occur if the bites and stings are not kept clean and properly disinfected.

  • One of the biggest problems related to ants in the home is food contamination. Ants carry bacteria on their bodies, which spreads when they crawl in pantries and across countertops. Only a few species are known to transmit diseases, but finding any type of ant in pantry goods or inside the home is an unpleasant experience that creates nuisances.

    Some species, like carpenter and fire ants, cause additional problems. A carpenter ant infestation can do costly damage by chewing tunnels through wood beams. Fire ant stings that involve envenomation can cause pain and more serious symptoms that often result in allergic reactions to some people who are hyper-sensitive to ant stings.