There are many different types of ants in a house, and just like humans, they come in all shapes and sizes.
Some ants are more significant than others; some have wings and longer antennas.
If you think you have ants in your home, you must identify which type of ant you have and determine the best way to get rid of them for good.
Here’s a list of some common types of house ants and the best way to get rid of them.
1. Argentine Ant
While most ants are harmless, the Argentine ant is not one of them. This ant is considered invasive and will cause harm to your home’s crops and environment.
The Argentine ant can be identified by their large size and dark reddish-brown coloration on its head, thorax, and abdomen.
These different Types of Ants in a House: a Comprehensive Guide also have six legs and two antennae. Their nests are typically located outside or in the ground for easy access to food, but they may also nest indoors near windows or doors if left undisturbed long enough.
It is not uncommon to find these pests inside houses, often entering through small cracks around pipes or along window sills.
Another ant to look out for is a black garden ant. As its name implies, it is most commonly found around house foundations and gardens but can also be seen inside.
It can be distinguished from other ants by its size, its color (they are black), and its three-node antennae. Another indicator is that it can travel up to 2 miles to find food or water.
These ants are typically active during warmer months, requiring higher temperatures to survive than other ants.
2. Odorous House Ant
The odorous house ant is a small, brown-to-black ant. It gets its name from the odor it emits when crushed. Odorous house ants are most active at night and feed on almost any food they find.
They will also eat honeydew and other sugary substances, often found near aphid colonies or fruit trees that provide these things.
This ant will also attack carpenter ants by spraying formic acid if they cross paths with them. Formic acid is so potent that it can dissolve human tissue, so you should never try to crush one.
One way to eliminate these ants in a house is to apply liquid insecticide around doorways, window sills, and other places they travel. You can also make an insecticide spray using dish soap mixed with water and lemon juice.
However, if you have different ants around your home, such as fire or Argentinean types, more is needed because their poison is not as toxic.
3. Fire Ant
Fire ants are small, coppery brown insects that can sting humans and animals painfully. They live in various habitats, including forests, fields, homes (especially if they have food sources), and wetlands.
They may become an indoor problem when they move into cracks in the foundation, walls, or piles of lumber.
Fire ant nests typically have three-foot vast mounds in open areas such as lawns or fields that reach two feet high at the center and slope gently away from the nest entrance at about 45 degrees for about two feet.
These mounds provide insulation to protect the colony from heat and cold. The queen is surrounded by workers who feed her and care for the eggs that she lays.
The workers also take care of larvae until they pupate. Ants develop through complete metamorphosis, meaning their life cycle includes four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult (worker).
A typical fire ant mound has 1,000 – 3,000 inhabitants, forming new colonies frequently.
4. Carpenter Ant
Carpenter ants are giant insects that typically inhabit forested regions of the world, and they make their homes by digging holes in pieces of damp, dead wood. They are black or brownish-black in color with wings and antennae.
These Different types of ants in a house also have an orange to the red band on their abdomen, usually divided into two parts.
Carpenter ants will excavate tunnels in these woods for nesting purposes and feeding the colony with nearby food sources, including honeydew from aphids and other sap-sucking insects like mealybugs or scale bugs.
Most carpenter ant colonies contain between 20,000 and 50,000 individuals, so it is essential to identify them as soon as possible if you suspect an infestation!
5. Pavement Ant
The pavement ant is one of the most common in the United States. They are known to be a nuisance because they tend to come inside and leave tiny droplets from their food or nest on surfaces like counters, sofas, or dressers.
Pavement ants can enter your house through any hole or crack, but gaps around windows and doorways that have been sealed are typically not used for entry.
Some other ways these ants can enter include using the siding as insulation and chewing their way into the home through an unscreened opening like window screens, doors, roof vents, or plumbing pipes.
A house’s different types of ants can chew through substances like aluminum, plastic, rubber, and paper. Once they find their way indoors, they usually stay there because it is safer and has more food sources.
In contrast with other ants that may try to escape when you disturb them outside, pavement ants will return to what they were doing if you stop touching them.
One important thing to know about these different types of ants in a house is that they build up a tolerance to many pesticides.
If you have a problem with this type of ant, call pest control professionals who specialize in solving such issues and are familiar with all the newest treatments available.
Another fact worth mentioning is how difficult it can be to eliminate pavement ants once they become established in your home.
6. Pharaoh Ant
Unlike most other ants, pharaoh ants are not afraid to enter your home and make nests there. They invade spaces as small as cracks in your home’s foundation or gaps between the wall and floorboards.
Pharaoh ant queens are large, reaching up to 1/8 long.
Males are smaller than females and appear darker. Workers are light yellow-brown or black with medium-sized bodies reaching about 3/8 long. The wings on female workers extend out past the abdomen, while males have shorter wings.
Queens are wingless but can be distinguished from other species members because they have a more extended body size.
The only way to get rid of these ants in a house is by using professional pest control methods like baiting or trapping them outside, where they won’t find their way back inside your house.
You can also spray residual insecticide around windows, doors, and other openings where these ants may try to gain access.
7. Ghost Ant
They usually live outdoors but can also come inside to find food or water during droughts. They are often mistaken for sugar ants (the ants that look like little people).
They have Dark heads and pale or translucent legs, and gasters make these tiny ants seem even more minor.
You can tell them apart by counting the number of segments on their antennae – Ghost ants have only six, while sugar ants have seven pieces.
These different types of ants in a house do not sting but will bite if threatened, leaving a painful welt on your skin.
Once inside the home, ghost ants often take shelter near sources of moisture (like wet laundry) because they do not drink water from leaves like other types of ants do.
If you see ghost ants, call an exterminator immediately to avoid any disease risk from these annoying pests!
8. Black Ant
These black or dark-brown bugs can often be found in dark areas such as soil, grass, the bottom of walls, and even under flat stones.
If they’re not too aggressive, they won’t bother humans but will eat other insects (mainly aphids) around them.
They also act as reasonable pest control by eating larvae, worms, and other pests that may invade your home.
Black ants are also attracted to honeydew that is excreted by aphids. The black ant colony lives mainly on the ground and isn’t interested in climbing vertical surfaces, so it isn’t a pest inside homes. It becomes an issue if they cross paths with you while walking outside.
That’s when the black ants will bite and sting to defend themselves. They typically don’t harm anyone unless someone disturbs their nest and destroys them without mercy.
There are many different types of these ants, including Camponotus Nearctic, Crematogaster ampla, Lasius niger, Lasius alienus, and Formica subsericea.
9. Citronella Ant
This type of ant is generally found near the coastlines, and they’re known for their lemon-like smell. These ants are yellowish brown, but they have legs that are dark brown.
These different types of ants in a house are also tiny and black, with one or two light spots on their head.
They are mainly seen during summer and feed on honeydew and other sweet substances. Citronella Ants don’t nest outdoors, so they will nest inside houses or other buildings like barns if you provide them with an opening to get inside.
They can cause damage to wood products as well as metals from chewing through them.
The good news is these ants only go into homes when it’s hot outside, so a quick fix would be to find ways to keep your home cool.
If you notice that there are many different types of ants in your house, and none are citronellas, then it may be due to moisture problems, as these little guys won’t go anywhere near water.
10. Crazy Ant
You may not be able to tell the difference between the different types of ants in your house, but taking care of them is essential.
Crazy ants are one type you need to be careful with because they’re less likely to attack if you don’t bother them. The easiest ways to get rid of them are by using an ant bait or contacting an exterminator.
Another option is to use a caulking gun and silicone sealant around windows and doors where they might enter the house.
Fill any cracks or gaps that lead inside. Examining their antennae is an easy way to tell the different types of ants in a house apart.
Crazy ants have long, thin antennae, while Pharaoh Ants have shorter, thicker ones with a bulge at the end (swollen node). If there’s any confusion, capture an ant and look at its hind leg.
Crazy ants have three segments, while Pharaoh Ants have four pieces on their hind legs.
