Ants
Tiny, mighty, and Difficult to Eradicate
Ants are the most common pest issue Americans encounter. These tiny pests typically live outside but they won’t be shy about migrating indoors in search of food. While some breeds of ants can be destructive, for the most part, these insects are just a major nuisance, disrupting your peace and comfort. Because ants are so small and their colonies so vast, they can be difficult to eliminate without professional treatment from a team like Dodson Pest Control.
Ants-at-a-Glance
Range in size but are typically about an eighth to a quarter of an inch long
Usually black or brown
Hundreds of species can be found in the States
Best known for being frequent home invaders
Concerned You Have an Ant Problem?
Ant FAQs
Ants are omnivores and eat a variety of foods including insects, honeydew from aphids, seeds, fungi, and even foods found in human homes like sweets, bread, and grease.
Ants are social insects that live in colonies with distinct roles, such as queens, reproductive males, workers, and soldiers. Some colonies can have millions of ants.
The lifespan of an ant depends on its role. Queen ants can live several decades, while worker ants typically only live a few weeks to a few months.
Over 12,000 identified ant species are divided into 17 subfamilies. Some common types are carpenter ants, fire ants, army ants, leafcutter ants, and crazy ants.
Ants communicate through pheromones, sounds, touch, visual signals, and food exchange. They use pheromone trails to guide others to food sources.
Ants have an incredibly strong grip and can lift 20 times their own body weight. They are known to be one of the strongest creatures on Earth for their size.
Ants are attracted to food sources like crumbs, spills, grease, and sweet substances. Moisture can also attract them indoors.
Eliminating food sources, sealing entry points, using baits or sprays, and sometimes calling an exterminator are ways to get rid of indoor ant infestations.
Most ants do not bite or sting humans. However, fire ants and some others can inflict painful stings or bites if their nest is disturbed.
The earliest known ants evolved over 100 million years ago in the mid-Cretaceous period, around the same time as the rise of flowering plants.
