Are Those Red Ants Dangerous?

Have you seen those crazy ants in your yard? You can recognize them by the erratic and almost pointless way they meander about your property. You may see thousands of them crawling around an area outdoors, although they sometimes find their way indoors to forage. The Houston pest control professionals at Holder’s have been dealing with these invasive ants in Texas for awhile now and we have a few tips to help you identify crazy ants on your property as well as prevent them from being a problem.

To help you with ant identification for ants in Texas, here are some of the more common ants you may encounter:

• Argentine ants: These ants are tiny at 1/16 of an inch long. They are light to dark brown and they typically nest outdoors but may make their way indoors when the weather is very wet or very dry. They are nuisance pests but are known for spreading diseases when they crawl around sewers and pick up bacteria and pathogens on their bodies.
• Red imported fire ants: These red ants are approximately 1/16 to 1/4 of an inch long; they have a yellowish red head with a black abdomen. They have a tendency to build nests in open and sunny areas but will occasionally collect around electrical equipment as well. They will enter electrical equipment when possible, which can cause the equipment to fail. They can also be destructive to vegetation when they invade areas in large numbers and they are known for giving a painful bite.
• Pharaoh ants: These ants are tiny at 1/16 of an inch long. They are pale yellow/red in color with an almost black abdomen. Pharaoh ants nest indoors where there is warmth and high humidity, as well as outdoors in the ground. They will forage for food inside Texas homes, where they are known for spreading diseases by contaminating food sources.
• Rasberry crazy ants (also called tawny ants): These ants are 1/8 of an inch long and reddish brown with tiny hairs on their bodies. They typically nest outdoors but will enter homes and buildings in the search for food. They form loose foraging trails, making them look as though they are disorganized, confused and all over the place. They have been known to build their nests inside walls as well as inside electrical equipment, including air conditioners.

As you can imagine crazy ants can pose a real problem for homes and businesses in our area; they are an invasive species that seems to be spreading quite rapidly, mostly by people who don’t realize they are spreading them. What can you do to prevent ants like crazy ants from taking over your property and your home? Here are some helpful ant prevention tips from the Houston pest control professionals at Holder’s:

1. Keep food off counters; if something must be stored on the counter, make sure it is enclosed in a hard sided plastic or glass container with a tight fitting lid.

2. Clean up crumbs and spills, especially in areas under appliances and behind counters. If ants have access to food inside your home, they will alert other ants that your home is a good place to forage.

3. Eliminate entry points; you can do this by examining the exterior of your property to check for holes or gaps that may be allowing ants and other pests indoors.

4. Enlist pest control professionals like the folks at Holder’s Pest Solutions for year round pest control services!

At Holder’s, our Total Home Pest Protection program is a convenient and effective program that was designed to protect you, your family and your property from the pests that we deal with in South Texas. This program includes inspection services that are thorough along with treatment that will eliminate the pests that are currently a problem and prevent future pests from invading. If you are seeing crazy ants on your property, give us a call today for more information on our year-round pest control services or to schedule an inspection.

The pros at Holder’s know that you shouldn’t have to deal with these invasive pests; contact us today for crazy ant control and general pest control in Houston, Texas service area.