Pest Briefs: Ants 101
By: Robert (Bob) Batman

NATURAL ENTOMOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION

Phylum Arthropoda
Class Hexapoda or Insecta
Order Hymenoptera
Family Formicidae
Genus/species Various

Morphosis: Compete (egg, larva, pupa, adult)

BRIEF INTRODUCTION: Ants are insects. There are, according to text books, over 10,000 species of ants worldwide and probably over 700 species in the USA! Some authorities claim there are over 25 different species that invade buildings and are, therefore, considered structural pests. Ants have always been and are one of the most adaptable animals ever known. Ants are social insects that live in colonies (nests). Ants are both useful and destructive. Ants are one of the most difficult pests to control, and multiple control measures (IPM) and multiple services (initial plus additional) may be required.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

1). Finding and/or destroying the ant's nest is the key to providing lasting ant control. Many times the nest(s) is (are) not on the property being serviced or are in locations where they simply can not be found. Many times the problem involves more than one species of ant. Most people in this part of the country are not willing to pay the price for a detailed search for ant nests: this time consuming procedure can be a BIG EXPENSE ITEM!!!

2). When nests are not found: a) Baiting for ants sometimes helps! Some species of ants respond well to baiting and others do not! b) Performing regularly scheduled controls including but not limited to: baiting and/or tracking powder application to certain interior and/or exterior areas, liquid pesticide application to certain interior and/or exterior areas, and perhaps certain recommendations for homeowner maintenance or mechanical controls are in order.

3). In our part of the country (central Midwest) a new, Repeat New, ant problem can arise after every spring rain, and you may have to start over from scratch!

4). It is very difficult to make predictions regarding ants. Nobody can accurately predict: a) the extent of service ( number of services trips) that will be required before the ant problem is resolved, b) what specific control measures are appropriate for the situation, without seeing the service site, c) future conditions which will require the property owner's attention (correction, maintenance or repairs), and/or d) the overall costs involved before the problem is resolved. Simply stated: there are too many variables to predict anything other than ant control can be very expensive.

5). Controlling ants can be very expensive: big problems sometimes require expensive solutions! Different professional pest control companies have different approaches as to the initial service they offer: a) some charge big prices up front and will return one or two times free within a limited time period, b) some offer a specified period (one year, etc.) service contracts for ants, c) some charge the same price for each service trip, regardless of the situation and/or the solutions needed, d) some charge a reasonable price for the initial service. During the initial service the service technician will learn more about your specific ant problem(s) and will be able to give good recommendations regarding any additional service(s) needed: in other words you pay for the service as you get the service...you get what you need and you pay for what you get, and; e) Some companies offer all the aforementioned and perhaps other options: kind-of-like a menu at a restaurant! The main thing to remember: with ants problems you must remain flexible as your needs could change from day to day or week to week.

WHAT KIND OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE CAN HELP PREVENT ANT PROBLEMS?

1. PERIMETER TREATMENT WITH POWER EQUIPMENT: Liquid residual pesticide applications, using power equipment, at appropriate times of the year has proven very helpful in preventing ant problems.

2. Regularly scheduled pest control service (monthly, every other month, or even quarterly) will help...it won't always prevent an ant problem, but it helps!

WHAT CAN I DO MYSELF TO HELP PREVENT ANT PROBLEMS GETTING INTO IN MY RESIDENCE AND/OR WORKPLACE?

1. CHECKOUT WHAT YOU BRING HOME: Inspect the obvious (the big things: boxes of items you or your kids bring into the house, used appliances, etc.). Don't store firewood inside. Fix water problems.

2. AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION: Correct conducive conditions including, but not limited to the following: 1) correct water problems, remove clutter and debris, store things off the floor and above soil level (elevate wood piles and other exterior and interior storage), 2) caulk and/or block entry access areas around door and window trim and areas where electrical or plumbing lines enter or exit the house, 3) keep things clean (don't leave food and dirty dishes unattended: wash them instead of leaving them for later and clean up food spillage and grease), 4) pick up uneaten or spilled pet food after feeding the pets, 5) perform needed maintenance, 6) remove vegetation (trees branches, weeds, etc.) contacting the building, 7) Ants and other pests love mulch! 8) Keep windows shut: open windows, even when screened, offer easy access to numerous pests! 8) Unless you have been properly trained in pesticide use and ant controls, I'd recommend you call a professional when ant problems arise.

SAVE THE ANTS MOVEMENT: Ants are both useful and destructive. Certain ants are beneficial as scavengers, pollinators, a food source, for medical research and even medical application, and they help aerate soil. Is there a Save-The Ants Movement? Let's start one!

THE ANTI-SAVE-THE-ANTS MOVEMENT, MOVEMENT: Ants can also be a nuisance. When ants invade your living, working, or recreational environment you may become very exasperated with their persistence. Certain ants can cause injury or damage to persons or property, or both! Any species of ant can become a nuisance! If ants invade your home, work space, or recreational area, you probably won't be too supportive of the local Save The Ant Group.

TRUE STORY TIME: 1) Location: Big league baseball park. Time: During a game. Pest Situation: Ants continually crawling on fans in a specific area of one section of seats! It's not funny when you, a professional PCO, are one of the attacked! Ants crawling on and under clothing can ruin an expensive trip to the Ol' Ball Game. 2) Location: Commercial aircraft. Time: In flight over the pond (New York to Rome). Pest Situation: ants in the food galleys and food. The paying travelers did not appreciate the extra, free protein. 3) Location: Hospital, in a patient's room. Time: visiting hours. Pest Situation: pharaoh ants in patient's IV tube. I COULD WRITE A BOOK OF THE THINGS I'VE SEEN.

WHERE DO ANTS LIVE? How about almost anywhere and everywhere? Actually, ants can be classified as to nesting preferences: either in-ground or in-structures (in voids or in walls). Below I have categorized some of the pest ants common in our area by listing, alphabetically, their common name alongside what seems to be their nesting preference. The letter S' or M' in parentheses following the common name indicates whether the ant species has a single reproductive queen (S) in the colony or multiple reproductive queens (M) in the colony (nest).

Nest In Structures: carpenter ants (S), crazy ants (M), odorous house ants (M), Pharaoh ants (M), and thief ants (M).

Nest In Ground: Argentine ants (M), fire ants (S) and (M) depending on species, little black ant (M), velvety tree ants (S), and pavement ants (S).

NOTE: Fire ants are not native to our area (Greater Kansas City Missouri/Kansas).

YOU'VE GOT BE KIDDING ME? Do not assume from the above classification that ground nesting ants cannot nest in structures or that structure nesting ants will not be found nesting outdoors. Ants are very adaptable animals! Also, do not assume the above listed species are the only pest ants in our area of the country (central Midwest).

OUCH! Some of the above listed ants can either bite or sting! Ants which can be classified as biting and/or stinging are listed alphabetically below:

Argentine ants (bite)
carpenter ants (bite)
fire ants (bite and sting) = not a native (common) pest in our area
little black ants (bite)
pavement ants and similar groups (acrobat ants and harvester ants)(bite)

PS: harvester ants: these can really get your attention! Their bite can really hurt!

A FEMALE DOMINATED SOCIETY! NO MCP's HERE: Some, but not all, ant species swarm (winged ants, males and females, emerging from the nest to mate and establish new colonies: Argentine ants and Pharaoh ants, two common species in our area, do not swarm). The males usually die shortly (within two weeks)after mating. The queens, after seeking a new nesting site, remain in their new nesting site and lay eggs: the colony begins to grow in numbers). The colony, except for the doomed males, then consists of the Queen(s) and her (their) Court: eggs, larvae, and workers (non-reproductive females). Some species have colonies with only one queen while others have numerous queens. The queen(s) is (are) the only egg laying reproductive(s). The queen(s), after becoming egg layers, have no other duties: they just lay eggs, lots of them! Eggs are eggs; self contained life forms which lay around waiting to hatch. The larvae are motionless, white grub-like creatures which depend on the workers for survival. Workers are wingless ants which do all the work, hence, the name workers. Workers are subdivided as foragers (the adult workers that leave the nest to search for food) and nurses (the younger workers who tend the needs of the colony within the nest). Ants can get into any building, including your house!

WHO SAYS SIZE IS IMPORTANT? Worker castes can be classified by size as follows: 1) polymorphic; workers of various sizes (example: carpenter ants), 2) dimorphic; workers are large and small (example: big headed ants) and, 3) monomorphic; workers being all the same size (examples: pharaoh ants and little black ants). Workers do not become larger with age: they remain the same size.

WHAT'S FOR DInNER? In general, ants feed on a very wide variety of things including but not limited to the following: sweets, starches, grease, animal and plant materials, and they are not backward about going after your dinner. Most pest ants, except for leaf- cutting ants, feed on sweets. Most of the pest ants (except for thief ants, Pharaoh ants, leaf-cutting ants, big headed ants, and crazy ants) feed on honeydue (the sweet secretions and deposits of aphids and other insects). Of all the above listed pest ants (those listed hereintofore), the following are known protein feeders: crazy ants, big headed ants, fire ants, Pharaoh ants, and thief ants. Except for Argentine ants and little black ants, most of the pest ants listed herein feed on one developmental stage or another of other insects.

WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I CAN TELL MY PROFESSIONAL SERVICE TECHNICIAN ABOUT MY ANT PROBLEM(S)? Tell him/her exactly, REPEAT EXACTLY, where (specific location) and when (time of day: daytime or nighttime, early morning or early evening) you have seen the ants. Where and when you have seen the ants is very important! I hate it when someone says, "I'm seeing them everywhere, or I see them all the time." Such responses are not helpful nor are they accurate. Such responses usually require the professional to begin a twenty questions type of dialog: Have you seen them: 1) in the kitchen and if so, exactly where and when? 2) in the basement and if so, exactly where and when? 3) in the dining room and if so, exactly where and when? 4) in the bathrooms and if so, which ones and exactly where and when in each? 5) in the bedrooms and if so, exactly where and when? 6) in the garage and if so, exactly where and when? 7) on the exterior of the house or outside near the house and if so, exactly where and when? And, on and on, the questioning will continue: 8) have you seen ants in this cabinet, how about this cabinet, or this cabinet, and it goes on from there. Remember: a good professional is simply trying to provide you the most efficient solution(s) possible for your pest problem.

WHAT SHOULD I DO BEFORE AND AFTER CALLING A PROFESSIONAL FOR SERVICE? Be observant! The exact location(s) where you have seen the ants and when (the time of day) you saw the ants, both, are important! Some ant species are active during daytime and others at night. Some species are known to prefer and frequent certain areas while others are not so selective. So, be very observant. Capture and save specimens for the professional service technician to observe: there may not be any around at the time of your service. If you are afraid of them, simply scoop some into a container and seal the container. If it appears more than one kind of ant is present, try to obtain a sample of each. Write down your sightings (a sighting report: list exact location, time and date), if you want, and give your ant sighting report (ASR) and any of the captured ants to the service technician. Accurate reports can save time, and time is money!

HOW DO ANTS FIND THEIR WAY AROUND?

That's a good question and one on which some authorities disagree. Actually, it seems to depend on what they are doing! If they are simply foraging, they seem to seem to wonder all around and when they find food, they seem to take a much more direct route back home. This is easily determined by careful observation. Whether they are returning home, after finding a food source, by means of sensing foraging pheromones (implies they deposit foraging pheromones) to the extent they can disregard all the curves of their previous foraging path or whether they are actually using landmarks and structural items (implies some degree of memory as opposed to instinct) is the question. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, they do deposit a tracking or recruiting pheromone from the food source back to the nest. This recruiting pheromone attracts the attention of other workers in their colony and soon they are recruited: taking the tracking pheromone path to and from the food source.

It is known that ants follow linear objects: seams in concrete, they track alongside logs, boards, walkways, seams in house exterior siding, and along other object which provide linear direction. Some authorities believe ants navigate by memorizing structures and by performing calculations based on the sun's rays and/or the moon's beams, or at least by making continual adjustments based on constant changes of the light ray and moonbeam angles. A lot of people think there is something to this newer theory, but there are some doubting Thomas.' Most ants forage at night and some worker casts of specific species are blind: how the previous theory supports this situation is a question yet to be adequately answered. To simply accept an across the board tracking and recruitment pheromone theory because it makes sense and not listen to other proposed possibilities wound be unwise. Nobody has all the answers, especially when it comes to ants. One should keep an open mind while at the same time remembering that scientific method is still King of the Mountain.

DO ANTS SWARM LIKE TERMITES?

Some species of ants swarm, the so-called nuptial flight, and others disseminate by a process called budding.' Budding can be described as some of the queens of a colony along with some of the workers moving out to new nesting locations. The workers will transport immature stages (eggs and larvae) by carrying them in their mouths to the new nesting site. With the aid of the workers, the new colony (colonies) is (are) soon up and going. Certain species which have numerous queens per colony, such as Argentine ants, pharaoh ants, and little black ants, utilize budding.

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO TELL WHETHER I HAVE SWARMING ANTS OR TERMITES?

The best way for an untrained person to determine which pest is swarming is to call a professional pest control operator (PCO). Simply collect a few specimens in a container (jar with a lid, zip lock bag, or envelope) and phone a PCO. The PCO can arrive ready to either perform ant service or give you an estimate for termite treating, whichever you need.

Ants appear to have narrow waists, similar to wasps, elbowed antenna, and a petiole with either one or two nodes, and four wings: clear with veins and forewings much larger than hindwings. Ant wings are not bilaterally symmetrical. Swarming ants do not lose their wings, and they will wonder off! If you collect specimens, the PCO can make positive identification. Otherwise, there may not be any of the ants around by the time the PCO gets there! Remember, it is important to know the species of the ant(s) one is trying to control! It is hard to properly identify a bug someone has stomped on. You can spray them with an aerosol or liquid pesticide, leaving some dead bodies for identification. Different ant species swarm at different times of the year. Specific species (the same species) will, unless unusual conditions exist, swarm at the same time each year.

Termites (eastern subterranean): the kind we have in the Greater Kansas City Missouri/Kansas Metro area) do not appear to have narrow waists, have straight antennas, and have four whitish wings of equal length with are bilaterally symmetrical and approximately twice as long as their bodies (swarming termites are approximately 3/8 inch long including their wings when the wings are back across the tops of their bodies). Some of the swarming termites will lose their wings (usually lots of wings lying around). If termites swarm inside, some of the swarming termites will begin to die before they all wonder off. The PCO can make positive identification from the dead bodies: so don't vacuum them all up...leave some for identification purposes. In our part of the country, termites have been known to swarm between February 15 and June 15, however, April and May are the big swarm months!

YOU CAN HAVE TERMITES AND NOT HAVE A SWARM!!!

A new queen will not usually produce swarmers until after the third year of reproduction. If the queen meets with a sudden death or injury, the supplementary queens (queens other than the primary queen that remain in the colony and do not swarm) continue their rapid reproduction and the colony continues: without any swarmers. If you are depending on termites swarming to tell you that your house is infested with termites, you making a serious mistake. Contacting a PCO for an annual termite inspection is a small price to pay for the service rendered. Most PCO's will check your house every year for a very reasonable fee: it could be the best money you spend! If you live in the Kansas City Missouri/Kansas Metro area, give BEST a call and get on our Annual Inspection Roster. We will contact you annually, by phone, to schedule your inspection. Want to know more about ants? Pest Brief: Ants What to know more about termites? Pest Brief: Termites

CAN ANTS TRANSMIT DISEASE AGENTS?

Yes! And, some of the diseases transmitted by ants are very serious.

HOW DO I TELL WHICH ANTS ARE IN MY HOUSE AND WHAT SHOULD I DO TO GET RID OF THEM?

I recommend you call a professional pest control operator and schedule for ant control service.

If you live in the Greater Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas) Metropolitan Area, call Best at (816) 765-8844 weekdays between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM. Best Exterminators, Inc. Main Office Number: (816) 765-8844.