Ants

Living in Southeast Texas, ants are a year round nuisance. They are one of the most successful groups of insects. Ants are social insects that live in colonies which are mostly located in the ground, but may forage into structures for shelter, food and moisture. Ants feed on most all kinds of food products but primarily feed on sweets and protein containing items. Approximate 700 species of ants live in the United States and Canada. Of these only 25 species readily infest structures.
Ants have complete metamorphosis : egg, larva, pupa,, and adult stages. Ant colonies contain 3 distinct castes - workers, queens and males. Accurate identification of certain species of ant is necessary in determining correct control method.

Carpenter Ant

Size: 5/8” Shape: Segmented, Oval Color: Black or Red/Black These species of ants get their name from building colonies in wood. Each colony has a queen that feeds workers as the workers mature they are ready to leave and gather food supply back to the queen and the next generation of worker ants. One colony of Carpenter Ants can produce up to 2,000 or more workers. These ants make tunnels that weaken structures and are costly to fix. Carpenter ants build their nests anywhere they can find water, moldy or damp wood even dry wood. Their diet is not limited to wood products; they also … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ants, Property Damaging Pests, Wood Destroying Pests

Fire Ant

The red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) first entered the United States through the seaport of Mobile, Alabama in the early 1930's and have spread throughout the southern regions. Fire ants are good competitors and colonizers that quickly establish mounds around homes, schools, businesses and industries. These ants are best known for their painful stings which can cause serious health problems. In addition, fire ants can damage electrical equipment and spoil outdoor activities. Fire ants are a dangerous pest and should be dealt with promptly. We offer a variety of treatment programs … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ants, Lawn Pests, Stinging & Biting pests, What's Bugging Southeast Texas

Leaf Cutter Ant

Leafcutter Ant Size: 1/16 – 1/2” Color: Rust Brown to Dark Brown Leafcutter Ants get their name from their habit of cutting leaves into small pieces. They build their nests in well drained sandy soil. These nests can be quite large and can cover 4,500 square feet in area and up to 20 feet in depth. Leafcutter Ants can strip a tree over night, and can forage up to 600 feet away from the nest. They often will leave a trail of leaf pieces. These ants stay in the nest during the hottest parts of the day and come out in temperatures between 45° and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ants, Crop Damaging Pests

Little Black Ant

Size: 1/16” Shape: Segmented, Oval Color: Black Little Black Ants are most common outdoors but can invade homes and/or buildings. This species of ants are active foragers that trail to and from the nest by the hundreds. Little Black Ant colonies are mobile and will move when disturbed, the colonies are small in size with many queens that are larger than that of the workers. This species is found in the soil under rocks, logs, debris, in open areas of the lawn, in landscaping mulch, bark of trees, wood damaged by termites, firewood piles, stacks of bricks/stones and voids of masonry. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ants, Stinging & Biting pests

Pharaoh Ant

Size: 1/15” to 1/12” Shape: Segmented, Oval Color: Light yellowish to reddish-brown These species of ants are very difficult to control, because they are so small in size they can get into almost any type of structure. Some Pharaoh Ants when in mature stage are winged but do not fly. The Pharaoh Ant will also split into sub-colonies and scatter to other locations inside or outside of structures. The colonies can be very large in size anywhere from tens or hundreds of thousand workers with more than one queen or queens who never leave their nest. Pharaoh Ants build colonies in warm, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ants, Stinging & Biting pests

Rasberry Crazy Ant

Rasberry Crazy Ants are a non-native ant species that were introduced into the Houston area and is spreading to surrounding counties. This ant is one type of a group of ants referred to as crazy ants because of their erratic running behavior and the last name of Tom Rasberry (pictured left) who first discovered the ants in the Houston area in 2002. These ants live in extremely large colonies, can forage for great distances and can literally sterilize a lawn by displacing other pests from existing in areas. It is unclear why this species, like many varieties of ants, are attracted to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Ants, Stinging & Biting pests, What's Bugging Southeast Texas