Given their tiny size, it is incredibly easy for ants to find a way inside any Feasterville home or business. All it takes is a miniature crack or crevice. The ant's superior sense of smell, which is always attuned to finding new food sources, does the rest.
There are an estimated 20 quadrillion ants worldwide. Fortunately, there are only some 6 types of ants that are often found in the Feasterville area, including, acrobat ants, black ants, carpenter ants, citronella ants, odorous ants and pavement ants.
Large ant piles that exist in the middle of a sidewalk or on a porch can be a nuisance. It may seem like these ants simply appear out of nowhere, but colonies can include 100,000 to 500,000 workers and several hundred queens. They simply hide beneath the surface of the ground, multiplying and digging tunnel systems until they emerge and are noticed.
Professional pest control may be needed in order to address an ant problem that is very extensive and established. Unfortunately, it is common for an ant problem to go unnoticed for a long period of time. This is especially true outdoors, where ants can create tunnels deep within the earth. Even in homes, ants can be very hidden within walls, creating destruction for months or years without being spotted.
People unwittingly help ant infestations by storing food on the kitchen counter or forgetting to clean up crumbs on the dining room table. When ants are spotted in the kitchen or pantry, people may react with panic as they wonder how to get rid of these invaders.
The carpenter ant, odorous ant, citronella ant, acrobat ant, pavement ant, and black ant may seek shelter and food in people's homes.
With the help of licensed pest management professionals, more families are able to live without worrying about unwanted guests.
Most carpenter ant workers are about one-quarter of an inch long, while the colony's queen may be as large as three-quarters of an inch. There are several sub-species, so coloration varies, with black being the most common, but brown, red, and multi-color combinations also occur.
Descriptions of the most commonly found ants in Feasterville are provided below:
Acrobat Ant
The acrobat ant has a black to light brown body color. This species received its name because of the division between the abdomen and the rest of the body. The abdomen can be raised above the body to make the acrobat ant look more intimidating. This occurs when the ant feels threatened.
Little Black Ant
While the name of this ant species might suggest a body that is black in color, little black ants can have a dark brown to black body. Very small in size, a little black ant colony can quickly become established in a home or commercial structure. The queen little black ant is a bit larger in size and has wings.
Carpenter Ant
The body of a carpenter ant is red to black in color, with a very distinctive appearance. A carpenter ant is broken up into three sections, which include the head, thorax and abdomen. The adult carpenter ant can grow to be ¼ to 1/2 inch in length. Often a pest in homes, this species of ant builds paths between the location of their nest and where food is going to be regularly sourced. This can make quite a mess.
Citronella Ant
Ranging from red to dark brown, the citronella ant was named because of its ability to release a lemon or citronella smell when feeling threatened or is destroyed. These ants are annoying, but do not generally cause a lot of damage. There are winged citronella ants that function as swarmers.
Odorous Ant
Dark brown to black in color, the odorous ant has a very strong and bitter smell that is emitted when crushed. They build trails to and from food sources and have the ability to move very quickly. All odorous ants in a colony tend to be about the same size, which is an average of 1/8 inch in length.
Pavement Ant
The pavement ant is approximately 3 millimeters long and dark brown in color. Colonies are often found underneath the foundation of a structure, with the ants venturing out to find a food source.
Carpenter ants establish parent and satellite nests. The parent nest is usually outdoors in a moist, woody location like firewood, tree stumps, or landscaping timbers. Satellite colonies may be indoors if dampness is present, such as beneath bathtubs and sinks.
The various species of ant choose a variety of habitats. While some colonies build a nest beneath rocks or in piles of yard debris, others will next inside logs, wood piles or trees. A pile of bricks or stones provides a likely nesting site, and species like the pavement ant and citronella ant choose to nest beneath slabs, porches, driveways and sidewalks. A telltale sign of this behavior is piles of sand or soil next to the cracks in these paved surfaces.
Frequently, ant colonies build nests either next to or inside a manmade structure. Spots adjacent to the foundation, inside a basement or crawl space or within wall voids are common nesting sites. The most notorious species for building nests in structures are carpenter ants as these nests can cause considerable damage.
Most ants consume protein and sugar. Even carpenter ants, mistakenly believed to eat wood, follow this diet. They eat living and dead insects for protein and prefer honeydew or plant secretions as a sweet source.
The specific diet of an ant will often depend on the species; however, most ants consume things like seeds, leaves, nectar, smaller insects, fruit and sweets. Ants are very good at sourcing food, venturing anywhere from 10 to 15 meters away from the nest.
Depending on the species, an ant can carry anywhere from 10 to 50 times their body weight in food.
Local ant species generally are not destructive. However, carpenter ants can cause structural instability when they nest inside homes.
Ants are a leading pest control issue and can be difficult for home and business owners to eliminate alone. Proper ant identification, nest location, and targeted treatment are essential. Professional pest control is recommended for effective removal.
Ants are the number one pest control issue and can prove virtually impossible for home and business owners to solve on their own. Ending an ant infestation typically requires proper ant identification, locating and destroying the nest or colony, as well as the use and application of specialized products.
As such, it is not advisable for property owners to attempt to eradicate an ant infestation without assistance from a professional pest control provider.
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