You’ve got ants in your home, but what kind are they? Here’s how you can identify the difference between odorous house ants and carpenter ants. Regardless of the species, remember to contact a professional if your pest problem is too much to handle on your own!

Appearance

Your first way to distinguish between odorous house ants and carpenter ants is by their appearance. Fortunately, the two species look quite different from one another. If you happen to see ants crawling around your home, here’s how you can tell the difference between the two.

Odorous House Ant

Usually dark brown or black, odorous house ants range in size between 1/16” and 1/8” long. They are relatively small and are fairly common throughout the United States. So, chances are, you’ve seen one of these little guys crawling around somewhere.

Carpenter Ant

Normally substantially larger than other ants, carpenter ants are typically reddish black and between 1/4” and 1/3” long. Carpenter ant “swarmers” are even larger than the worker ants. As the colony matures and begins to seek new territory, it produces swarmers that are nearly an inch in length with long wings that extend past their bodies. Again, the key identifier of this particular ant species is its large size.

Behavior

If they’ve been around long enough for you to determine their behavior, it’s probably time to call a professional. Regardless, here’s how you can identify the type of ants that are active in your home.

Odorous House

Odorous house ants will often be driven indoors after a heavy rain. They’re very quick and typically travel in a line. Like many types of ants—and pests in general—odorous house ants will seek out food within your home. If they’ve invaded, you’ll likely find them in your kitchen, where they can snatch up a stray crumb or two.

Carpenter

The behavior of carpenter ants is similar to that of termites or other wood-destroying insects. While they don’t eat wood, they do bore through it in order to nest. A telltale sign of carpenter ants is the holes and piles of shavings they leave in their wake. You may not be able to see carpenter ants, but rustling in your walls may be a sign of their activity in your home.

Removal

When it comes down to it, you’re mostly concerned with how to remove these ants from your home. Here are a few tips for eliminating them and preventing future outbreaks.

Odorous House

Because odorous house ants usually enter your home seeking shelter or food, limiting these two resources as much as possible will help keep them outdoors. You can do so by trimming shrubbery to eradicate access points, storing food in airtight containers, and properly sealing all doors and windows. If you have odorous house ants in your home, the most effective way to remove them is with bait. Other sprays, treatments, and pesticides can also be used, but they often require multiple applications.

Carpenter

Because of their destructive nature, carpenter ants need to be treated promptly and efficiently. To protect your home, keep your yard properly manicured, remove any rotting wood from your lawn or home, and eliminate any excess water from your property. If you believe you may have a carpenter ant infestation, it’s best to call a pro and have your home inspected. A pest control technician will be able to identify your problem and treat it before it gets out of hand.

If you’re fighting a losing battle against ants in your home, contact the experts at Springer. Our team of pest control professionals can help you identify the source of your ant problem, remove the invaders, and prevent future outbreaks. Set up your free inspection now!

You’ve killed them once; you’ve killed them twice. Why do these ants keep coming back to your home? Ants can be tricky to completely eliminate from your home, and here are a few reasons why.

Your home still provides basic necessities.

Just like with any other pest, ants need food, water, and shelter. If your house provides a food source, the ants will continue to invade. For this reason, one of the most effective ways to eliminate ants from your home is to remove their reason for being there. While exterminating ants in the home will reduce their numbers, other colony members will likely return to keep the provisions coming. To keep ants from coming back, keep food out of their reach.

Solution

Food water, and shelter reward ants for invading your home. Take these steps to take away their motivation to keep coming back.

• Wipe down kitchen countertops and sweep the kitchen floor regularly.
• Store food, both for humans and pets, in airtight containers.
• Clean up spills and crumbs quickly and thoroughly.
• Don’t allow standing water to collect in your basement or crawlspace.
• Seal off windows and doors, and repair any cracks in your foundation.

The colony is still alive.

Ants live in colonies with a vast number of members. For this reason, it’s common to kill a dozen or more ants in your home only to return and find that a dozen or more have taken their place. To be effective, extermination must consist of more than simply killing ants as they are found.

Solution

The most efficient way to exterminate a colony is with bait. Place ant bait in the areas with ant activity. Ants will eat the bait, return to the colony, and poison the rest of their nestmates. You may have to try several different types of bait before the ants will take it. Once you’ve found a variety that suits the ants, they’ll bring the poison-laced bait back to the nest and take care of the problem themselves.

Treatment varies by species.

Different types of ants require different types of treatment. For example, run-of-the-mill ants like the tiny black ones you see crawling across picnic blankets are typically only in search of sugar and other sources of food. Their presence, though a nuisance, isn’t necessarily a sign of anything more serious. Conversely, carpenter ants, which seek out decaying wood, require a much more dedicated extraction. Because of this, it’s helpful to know what type of ant you’re dealing with. A pest control professional can help you identify the ant’s species and develop the most effective extermination plan for that type.

Solution

When you notice an ant problem in your home, jot down a few notes. Size, color, and behavior can all be helpful clues in identifying the species. If you’re having a hard time overcoming the ants invading your home, contact a pest control professional. A pest control technician will be able to formulate a plan specifically for the ants you are dealing with.

If you’re fighting a losing battle against the ants in your home, contact the experts at Springer. Our team of pest control professionals will help you eliminate your ant problem and prevent a future one from developing. Set up your free inspection now!