Call
Contact Us

Posts Tagged ‘Ants’

Common Summertime Ants in the Backyard

Summertime brings warm weather, outdoor activities, and unfortunately, a variety of ants that can invade your backyard. Understanding the common types of ants you might encounter can help you manage and prevent infestations. Here’s a guide to some of the most frequently seen ants during the summer months.

1. Carpenter Ants

Identification

  • Appearance: Large ants, usually black or dark brown.
  • Size: Workers range from 1/4 to 1/2 inch long.

Behavior

  • Habitat: Prefer damp, decaying wood. Often found in trees or wooden structures.
  • Diet: Feed on sugary substances and other insects.

Why They’re a Problem

  • Damage: Can cause significant structural damage by hollowing out wood for their nests.

2. Pavement Ants

Identification

  • Appearance: Small, dark brown to black ants.
  • Size: Around 1/8 inch long.

Behavior

  • Habitat: Commonly nest under sidewalks, driveways, and patios.
  • Diet: Omnivorous; attracted to greasy and sweet foods.

Why They’re a Problem

  • Nuisance: Often seen foraging in large numbers, especially around food sources.

3. Odorous House Ants

Identification

  • Appearance: Small, brown or black ants.
  • Size: About 1/8 inch long.

Behavior

  • Habitat: Prefer moist areas and can nest indoors and outdoors.
  • Diet: Highly attracted to sugary foods.

Why They’re a Problem

  • Odor: Emit a strong, rotten coconut-like smell when crushed.

4. Fire Ants

Identification

  • Appearance: Reddish-brown ants with darker abdomens.
  • Size: Workers range from 1/8 to 1/4 inch long.

Behavior

  • Habitat: Build large mounds in open, sunny areas.
  • Diet: Omnivorous; aggressive foragers.

Why They’re a Problem

  • Stings: Known for their painful stings that can cause allergic reactions.

5. Argentine Ants

Identification

  • Appearance: Light to dark brown ants.
  • Size: Approximately 1/8 inch long.

Behavior

  • Habitat: Prefer moist environments and can invade homes in search of food.
  • Diet: Attracted to sweet substances.

Why They’re a Problem

  • Invasiveness: Form large colonies and displace native ant species.

Prevention Tips

To keep these pesky ants at bay, consider the following prevention tips:

  • Seal Entry Points: Ensure windows, doors, and cracks are properly sealed to prevent ants from entering your home.
  • Maintain Cleanliness: Keep your kitchen and outdoor dining areas clean and free of food debris.
  • Proper Food Storage: Store food in airtight containers and promptly clean up spills.
  • Yard Maintenance: Regularly trim vegetation and eliminate standing water to reduce nesting sites.

Understanding the different types of ants that invade your backyard during the summer can help you identify and manage potential infestations. By taking proactive measures, you can enjoy your outdoor space without the nuisance of these common summertime ants. If you’re facing a persistent ant problem, consider contacting a pest control professional for assistance.

Keeping Ants Out Of Your Home

Ants are a common sight in homes, and they can be quite frustrating to deal with. Not only are they unsightly, but they can also be a nuisance to have around. Ants can find their way into your home through various entry points, and once they do, they can quickly multiply. Fortunately, there are several ways to keep ants out of your home, and in this blog post, we’ll explore some of the best ones.

1. Keep your home clean and tidy
The first step in keeping ants out of your home is to keep it clean and tidy. Ants are attracted to food, so make sure to keep all food items sealed and stored in containers. Clean up any crumbs or spills immediately and store food in the pantry or refrigerator. Also, make sure to keep your kitchen and countertops clean at all times. Regularly empty the garbage bin and wipe down all surfaces with soap and water.

2. Seal off entry points
Ants can enter your home through tiny cracks, gaps, and openings. Seal them off using caulk or weatherstripping. Ants can also climb up trees, shrubs, and branches to access your home, so keep them trimmed and away from your house. If you have pets, make sure their food is stored in a sealed container, and clean up any spills immediately. Ants can also be attracted to pet waste, so dispose of it properly.

3. Use natural deterrents
There are several natural deterrents that can help keep ants at bay. One of the most effective ones is vinegar. Mix equal parts of water and vinegar in a spray bottle and use it to wipe down surfaces and floors. Another effective natural deterrent is peppermint oil. Add a few drops of peppermint oil to a cotton ball and place it near entry points. Ants are repelled by the scent of peppermint and will avoid entering your home.

4. Use bait traps
If you already have an ant infestation in your home, using bait traps can help eliminate them. Ant bait traps work by attracting ants with a sweet “bait” that contains a slow-acting poison. The ants take the bait back to their nest, and over time, the poison kills them. You can place bait traps near entry points or areas where you’ve seen ant activity.

5. Hire a professional
If you have a severe ant problem that is difficult to eliminate on your own, consider hiring a professional pest control company. They have the knowledge and expertise to deal with different types of ants and can use more potent treatments that are not available to the general public.

Ants can be a real headache to deal with, but with some simple steps, you can keep them out of your home. Keep your home clean and tidy, seal off entry points, use natural deterrents, and consider using bait traps or hiring a professional. By taking these steps, you can enjoy an ant-free home and avoid the frustration of dealing with these pesky insects.

Ants To Look Out For In Your Home: Identification And Prevention Tips

Ants are a common sight in many homes, especially during the summer months. While most ants are harmless, some species can cause significant damage to your property and pose health risks to you and your family. Hence, it’s crucial to identify the ants in your home and take appropriate measures to control their infestation. In this post, we’ll discuss some common ants you might find in your home and some tips for preventing their invasion.

Carpenter Ants:

Carpenter ants are the most destructive species that can cause significant structural damage to your property. They are big and black or brown in color, and their presence indicates moisture or wood damage in your house. Carpenter ants don’t eat wood, but they tunnel through it, damaging the structural integrity of your property. Prevention tips include removing moisture sources, repairing leaky pipes, and sealing cracks and crevices in your home’s foundation.

Odorous House Ants:

Odorous house ants are brown or black and emit a foul smell when crushed, earning them the name “stink ants.” These ants don’t pose a significant health risk, but they can quickly infest your food, causing contamination. To prevent their invasion, seal cracks and gaps in your home’s exterior, store your food in tightly sealed containers, and clean up spills and crumbs immediately.

Fire Ants:

Fire ants are reddish-brown and aggressive, stinging when threatened. Their stings cause itching, swelling, and pain, and in rare cases, anaphylactic shock. Fire ants build their nests in sunny areas in your lawn, and their presence indicates an infestation. To prevent fire ants, keep your lawn well-trimmed, keep pet food and water indoors, and seal off entry points into your home.

Argentine Ants:

Argentine ants are tiny and brown, and they build supercolonies that can quickly infest your home. They can transmit harmful bacteria like salmonella and listeria and cause allergy symptoms in some people. You can prevent Argentine ants by sealing off entry points into your home, trimming your trees and bushes, and keeping your kitchen clean and dry.

Pharaoh Ants:

Pharaoh ants are small and yellow or light brown, and they can infest every part of your home, including your walls, furniture, and food. They can transmit harmful bacteria and viruses, posing health risks to you and your family. To prevent their infestation, eliminate moisture sources, store food in tightly sealed containers, and seal off entry points into your home.

Identifying the ants in your home and taking appropriate preventive measures can help you avoid an infestation and the associated risks. If you already have an ant infestation in your home, it’s crucial to seek professional help to eliminate it entirely. At the same time, keep in mind that prevention is always better than cure. By implementing effective prevention strategies, you can keep your home ant-free and your family safe and healthy all year round.

Termites Or Ants? How Can You Tell?

Physical Differences

Termites and ants have distinct physical characteristics that set them apart.

Termites

Termites have a straight, wide waist, and their wings are equal in size and shape. They have straight antennae and a soft body that is light in color. They also have a beaded appearance on their antennae and a thick waistline.

Ants

Ants have a narrow, pinched waist, and their wings are different in size and shape. They have bent antennae and a hard exoskeleton that is usually black or brown. They also have an elbow-shaped antenna and a thin waistline.

Behavioral Differences

Termites and ants have different behaviors that help us distinguish them.

Termites

Termites are known for their destructive behavior as they feed on wood and other cellulose materials. They live in colonies and work together to build their nests and expand their territories. They also swarm during the mating season and can cause significant damage to homes and structures.

Ants

Ants are social insects that live in colonies and have a hierarchical structure. They are omnivores and feed on a variety of food sources, including plants, insects, and other animals. They are also known for their foraging behavior and can travel long distances to find food.

Habitat Differences

Termites and ants have different habitat preferences, which affect where we find them.

Termites

Termites prefer warm, moist environments and are commonly found in soil, wood, and other organic materials. They can infest homes and buildings, causing significant damage to the structures.

Ants

Ants can thrive in a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and urban environments. They build their nests in soil, under rocks, and in trees. They can also infest homes and buildings, searching for food and shelter.

Damage Differences

Termites and ants can cause different types of damage, which help us identify them.

Termites

Termites feed on wood and other cellulose materials, which can weaken the structure of homes and buildings. They can cause significant damage to walls, floors, and ceilings, and can be costly to repair.

Ants

Ants can cause damage to plants, gardens, and crops by feeding on them. They can also damage homes and buildings by nesting in the walls and creating tunnels. However, their damage is usually less severe than termites.

How to Identify Termites

Identifying termites can be challenging, but there are several signs to look out for.

Mud Tubes

Termites build mud tubes to travel from the soil to their food sources, such as wood or cardboard. These tubes can be found on the foundation of homes or buildings, along walls, or in basements.

Swarming

Termites swarm during the mating season, usually in the spring or fall. They can be seen flying around light sources or crawling on the ground.

Wood Damage

(more…)

How Many Carpenter Ant Species Infest Structural Woods Within Louisiana Homes? Where Are These Species Distributed?

Numerous insect pests that bore into structural woods can be found within Louisiana. Ants and beetles make up the vast majority of these wood-boring pest species. Unlike wood-hungry termites, nearly all of these structural ant and beetle pests bore into processed lumber solely for nesting purposes. Carpenter ants are the most significant structural ant pests in the US, and several carpenter ant species have been documented within Louisiana. Considering the termite pest issues that plague Louisiana homeowners nearly all year round, carpenter ants are easily overshadowed by termites in the state. However, the most commonly encountered and most economically significant carpenter ant species in the US, the black carpenter ant, inflicts significant damage to structural woods within residential and urban structures in Louisiana.

The exact number of carpenter ant species dwelling within Louisiana is not known to experts, but statewide surveys have turned up between 15 and 20 species in Mississippi and Texas. Although carpenter ants are the largest-bodied ants in the world, experts have a difficult time discerning carpenter ants from the similar looking Formica ants. Most carpenter ant species in Louisiana do not infest structural wood, and all carpenter ant species infest natural wood sources. However, many carpenter ant species in the state occasionally infest structural wood sources that have undergone considerable decay, but these infestations are not generally considered to be of significant economic importance.

Carpenter ant species seek out human food sources within homes where they can establish nuisance infestations. The black carpenter ant is the only carpenter ant species in Louisiana that is considered a serious structural pest, but nine other species in the state are considered occasional structural pests. These less-damaging carpenter ant species include the red carpenter ant, the American carpenter ant and the Florida carpenter ant. Most carpenter ant species in Louisiana, including the destructive black carpenter ant, have become known for their seasonal nuisance swarms that often occur within or near homes in the state. The black carpenter ant is distributed all over Louisiana, and this species is usually quite difficult to eradicate from infested homes.

Were you aware that Louisiana contains numerous insect pests that infest structural woods? Get A Free Inspection today!

Contact Us for a Free Consultation and get more information

Contact Us Now

Reviews

Our great reviews and why you should choose us

Reviews
Shield

J & J Exterminating, Inc.

Corporate Headquarters
105 S College Rd
Lafayette, La 70503
Phone : (337) 234-2847
Email Customer Service

J&J Exterminating, Inc.