At some point or another you have probably seen an ant or two crawling around in your kitchen or maybe your bathroom. Ants in Texas are one of the most common springtime pest invaders because as the weather warms, their colonies become active again and that means thousands of hungry ants! While some ants in Houston are merely a nuisance, other types of ants pose a more serious threat. To help homeowners in our region better understand the types of ants they are likely to find, here is a guide to the most common ant species in the area.
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Description: Small ant species (1/16 inch), light brown or dark brown in color.
Habits: Argentine ants are mostly a nuisance pest when foraging for food inside a home but have also been known to spread disease due to their habits of crawling through garbage or sewers.
Description: Larger ant species (1/8 to 1/2 inch), black in color, reddish legs, golden hairs.
Habits: A wood destroying pest, carpenter ants form their nests in wood by carving out galleries. This activity, if left un-treated, can lead to extensive structural damage.
Description: Small ant species (1/8 inch), reddish to brown in color.
Habits: As their name suggests, crazy ants are known for their erratic foraging patterns. Instead of following a single trail as many other ant species, they seem to move all of the place in a ‘crazy’ pattern.
Description: Range in size but generally small (1/16 to 1/8 inch), bodies are brown to black in color but with paler legs and antennae.
Habits: Considered a nuisance pest for their food stealing habits, pavement ants do not spread disease and tend to form nests in the cracks of pavement including driveways and sidewalks.
Description: Small ant species (1/16 inch), pale yellow to red body with an almost black abdomen.
Habits: Known to spread several diseases by contaminating food as they forage through the kitchen.
Description: Range in size (1/16 to 1/4 inch), yellowish red and black in color.
Habits: Their large colonies which can be found in lawns, gardens, parks and many other areas. The biggest threat associated with red imported fire ants is when they cause damage to electrical equipment or even vegetation.
For information on the different species of ants in Texas as well as information on how to get rid of ants, please contact Holder’s Pest Solutions. In addition to ant control for Houston homes, we also provide pest control for the commercial sector. With Holder’s on the job, you don’t have to let ants take over your home or business this spring.