Ants

Identifying Features of Common Household Ants.

Effective management approaches vary with ant species. Use behavioral characteristics such as food and nesting preferences along with physical characteristics to identify ants. A first step in identifying ants is to use a magnifier to determine if they have one or two nodes at the petiole of their abdomen. Locate the petiole, the first portion of the abdomen, and count the number of nodes present.


Features

1Node
One-node ant
2Node
Two-node ant

Argentine ant
(Linepithema humile)

Food: sweets, sometimes proteins.
Nest: outdoors in shallow mounds


Argentine Ant
1/8 inch, dull brown
Pavement ant
(Tetramorium caespitum)

Food: sweets, proteins, grease.
Nest: in lawns or under stones, boards; build mounds along sidewalks, foundations, and near water.
Pavment

3/16 inch, dark brown to black

Carpenter ant
(Camponotus spp.)

Food: sweets.
Nest: in tree stumps, firewood, fence posts, hollow doors or window frames; deposit sawdust like frass outside of nests.

CAnt
Large, 1/4 to 1/2 inch, black or bi colored red or black

Pharaoh ant
(Monomorium pharaonis)

Food: fats, proteins, sweets.
Nest: in wall or cabinet voids, behind baseboards, or insulation or outdoors in debris.

Pharoah
1/16 inch, yellow or honeycolored to orange

Odorous house ant
(Tapinoma sessile)

Food: sweets, sometimes proteins.
Nest: in shallow mounds in soil or debris, or indoors in wall voids, around water pipes or heaters.

Odor
1/8 inch, dark brown to shiny black; very strong odor when crushed

Red imported fire ant
(Solenopsis invicta)

Food: sweets, proteins.
Nest: in mounds with multiple openings in soil or lawns and sometimes in buildings behind wall voids.

RedImport
1/16 to 1/5 inch, reddish with dark brown abdomen

Velvety tree ant
(Liometopum occidentale)

Food: sweets and insects.
Nest: in dead wood such as old tree limbs, stumps, and logs.

Velvety
1/8 to 1/4 inch, brownish-black head, red thorax, and velvety black abdomen; very distinct odor when crushed

Southern fire ant
(Solenopsis xyloni)

Food: proteins and sweets.
Nest: in small mounds with flattened irregular craters in wood, under rocks.

 

SouthernFire
1/8 to 1/4 inch, amber head and thorax with black abdomen, body covered with golden hairs
 

Thief ant
(Solenopsis molesta)

Food: greasy and fatty foods, sometimes sweets. Steal food and ant larvae from other ant nests.
Nest: outdoors in soil, under rocks or decaying wood or indoors behind wallboards or baseboards

Thief
1/32 inch, yellow to
light brown


Ants are among the most prevalent pests in households. They are also found in restaurants, hospitals, offices, warehouses, and other buildings where they can find food and water. On outdoor (and sometimes indoor) plants, ants protect and care for honeydew-producing insects such as aphids, soft scales, whiteflies, and mealy bugs, increasing damage from these pests. Ants also perform many useful functions in the environment, such as feeding on other pests (e.g., fleas, caterpillars, termites), dead insects, and decomposing tissue from dead animals.

Less common, but of great importance, is the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, which has recently gained a foothold in southern California. In some areas, the spread of the fire ant has been slowed by competition from the Argentine ant.

Carpenter ants, Camponotus spp., also invade buildings in California. Although they do not eat wood as termites do, they hollow it out to nest and may cause considerable damage.

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