ABOUT ANTS
There are more than 12,000 ant species across the world. But here in the U.S., you'll find the odorous house ant, carpenter ant, and pavement ant are probably giving you the most trouble.
Ants are social and live in colonies. Because there are literally thousands of ants in a colony, killing ants one-by-one won't solve your infestation. Instead, you'll need the help of a professionally-trained Axiom technician to manage your ant situation.
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Ants will forage day and night searching for sweets, dead insects and moisture. Their waste can contaminate foods and they leave a pheromone trail to tell them where they’ve been. It's because of these elaborate scent trails and their unique biology that makes ants difficult to manage and best left to Axiom professionals.
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ACROBAT ANT
Acrobat ants are largely predators of other insects, including wasps. They shoot their venom into the other insect to kill it and then proceed in a complex trail-building process to lead their colony mates to the food. Trails are known to cover over 100 feet in all directions.
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In the outdoors, acrobat ants normally live along trees, but they also search for areas that are moist and dark. They are known to inhabit wood piles.
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When under attack or disturbed, the acrobat ant lifts his gaster and thorax above its head and walks around on its front-most legs.
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Other names for this species are Saint Valentine's ant or cocktail ant.
ALLEGHENY MOUND ANT
Most known for its large mounds, the Allegheny mound ant is also noteworthy for the lesions it leaves on the main stem of hardwood, conifer and pine trees.
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These mounding ant colonies are very complex. Several mounds may be interconnected and tunnels may push 3 feet deep and 4 feet outward from the mound.
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As expected, these ants protect their homes and are very aggressive. They will bite if disturbed. And their biting isn't only a problem for humans and animals, these ants also inject their formic acid into plants and trees surrounding the mounds, killing much of the vegetation within 40 to 50 feet of their mounds.
ARGENTINE ANT
These could be called cooperative ants because, unlike other ant species, different nests of these ants won't normally fight each other. In fact, members of one nest can visit a neighboring nest without fear of attack.
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Argentine ants have huge colonies with up to several hundred thousand workers and multiple queens. It's specifically because of the multiple queens that makes it difficult to stop these ants and its best left the the Axiom professional.
Argentine ants often displace native ants. They are also known to tend aphids, causing crop damage. These facts have landed Argentine ants on a list of the 100 worst animal invaders.
BIG HEADED ANT
Talk about warriors... the soldier ants of this species have hugely over-sized heads that are nearly as large as their bodies and full of muscle.
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Considered one of the world's most invasive species, the soldiers are the fighting force that run out all native ants and take over their habitats.
You'll need a professional to solve your big headed ant problems because their colonies are numerous and often spread over property lines.
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The big headed ant normally nests in soil and leaves behind its dirt piles outside. Inside you'll find them foraging in bathrooms, kitchens and around doors and windows.
CARPENTER ANT
So named because of the nests they build in wood, carpenter ants do not eat wood, instead they deposit the wood they remove from their nests and leave it outside the entrance to their colony.
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The smooth tunnels these ants dig inside wood can weaken and potentially damage a home's structure, resulting in very expensive-to-fix damage.
You'll need a professional to solve your carpenter ant problems because as long as these ants are present, they'll continue to do unseen damage to your wooden structures.
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Carpenter ants have been known to nest behind floor tile, around sinks and showers, in attic beams and even in foam insulation. Most prone infestation areas are where wood touches the foundation.
CITRONELLA ANT
Sometimes referred to as yellow ants because of their distinctive color, these nocturnal ants also give off a lemony or citrus-like odor when crushed.
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Citronella ants are believed to tend aphids -- much like a dairy farmer tends cows -- since it is the waste of the aphids that provide these ants with their food source, called Honeydew.
Citronella ants normally stay outside, but are known to enter homes when they are swarming. This has been documented to happen any time throughout the year.
An Axiom professional can help you solve your citronella ant issues. We'll locate their nest and treat for areas where they could have entered.
FIELD ANT
Field ants, also called wood ants, mound ants or thatching ants, are the largest genus of ants living north of Mexico.
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You'll find nests for these red and black-colored ants in mounds of plant materials such as grass, twigs and pine needles. They are common around structures and buildings.
Field ants eat the waste of plant-sucking insects like aphids and mealy bugs, and some field ants feast on meat.
Field ants can bite if they are disturbed and will spray the wound with formic acid, making a painful bite. You'll want an Axiom professional to help rid your property of these ants.
FIRE ANT
Fire ants are extraordinarily aggressive and can leave a painful sting when disturbed. If you have these ants, you'll want professional help from Axiom to rid them from your environment.
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You'll know fire ants by their telltale mounded nests which are found near building structures and in landscaped areas. Areas around the nests are often denuded of plants because the mounding damages plant roots.
Fire ants like to enter buildings through HVAC units or AC units. They are very aggressive and practice survival of the fittest. They have been known to come together to form a raft during floods.
GHOST ANT
Ghost ants are so named because their legs, pedicel, gaster and antennae are a pale yellow, translucent coloring while their head is all black. In some areas, they are called black-headed ants.
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Ghost ants have high moisture needs, so you'll find them in your home around sinks, showers, tubs, in potted plants, behind baseboards and in wall voids. ​
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Their colonies are moderate to large in size with multiple queens. Ghost ants are flexible and adaptable to nesting locations and are known to split between multiple nesting sites, both inside and out.​ They feast on sweets and greasy foods and may contaminate food they contact.
HARVESTER ANT
Harvester ants are known for seed harvesting, which they harvest in great quantities. Using their large mandibles, the ants grind the seeds into a bread-like consistency and then store them in the mound's granary, which assures year-round food.
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Their mounds are relatively flat and broad, but they are large, some as wide as 110 square feet. All plant life is denuded from the mound, making it difficult for livestock to graze in the area of a harvester ant colony.
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Harvester ants are known to sting if their nest is disturbed. Some of the 26 species of this ant even leave a barbed stinger, like that of a honeybee, when they sting.
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Let a professional help if you have harvester ants on your property.
MOISTURE ANT
Moisture ants are an indicator of high moisture structural damage. They burrow and nest into rotted wood that is associated with severe structural damage. You'll want a professional pest control technician to identify and solve this problem immediately.
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The nests these ants make out of the decayed wood are called cartons, with a Swiss cheese appearance.
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In mid to late summer, moisture ants will swarm. Homeowners may leave for work and come home to find hundreds of winged ants in their home.
If you notice swarms, call your Axiom technician right away.
Odorous ants are like a bad house guest: they show up unannounced; are always looking for food and drinks; and have to be forced to leave.
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If you have these pests roaming around your kitchen counters and floor or maybe they're in the bathroom, don't take it on yourself to get rid of them. Instead, call a professional at Axiom.
These guys like to frequent warm moist areas inside homes, in attics, crawlspaces and wall voids. They are prolific foragers and will travel long distances in search of food. Colonies can have over 100,000 workers and multiple queens.
Left unchecked, the infestation will continue to build until no part of your home is free from these ants. Call for your pest control appointment today!
ODOROUS ANT
PAVEMENT ANT
If you find piles of sand or dirt coming from the cracks between segments of sidewalk, chances are good you have pavement ants.
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These ants tend to build large colonies, with between 3,000 and 4,000 members and nest in the soil under concrete slabs and asphalt driveways. Over time, pavement ants can excavate and undermine the soil beneath these structures, causing them to sag and settle to the point they need repair.
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If you've noticed piles of sand and now you have a sagging sidewalk or driveway area, it's time to call a professional to help combat your pavement ants.
PHARAOH ANT
Pharaoh ants have been blamed for spreading a dozen disease pathogens, include salmonella and Streptococcus pyogenes. They are a major nuisance in hospitals, where they enter IV bottles and find their way into patients' wounds.
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Often found in commercial food handling establishments, Pharaoh ants nest in warm, humid areas near food and water sources. Each morning, scouts forage for food and immediately return to the nest. Ants follow the successful scout's trail back to the food source.
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Pharaoh ants have many queens in their colony, allowing for colonies to fragment and quickly bud into new colonies.
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Pharaoh ants are prolific and need to be treated by a professional.
THIEF ANT
Thief ants nest near other ants and then rob them of their food, larvae and pupae. Colonies are small, but there are many queens and several thousand workers.
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Thief ants are often found feeding on dead rats and mice, so they may carry disease-inducing organisms to human food. They also may be intermediate hosts for the poultry tapeworm.
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Small in size at about 1/16" long, thief ants forage in trails throughout a structure seeking protein, sweets and liquid. Outdoors they nest under objects and in soil.
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Don't let a thief ant infestation happen to you, contact an Axiom professional now.