ANT CONTROL

An Ant infestation is the most commonly reported pest problem. Ants enter your home or business in search of foot and water. Damp and rotting wood as well as food sources including sugar, grease, peanut butter, crumbs and dead insects are common attractants for ants.

They will often enter the home through cracks around windows, doors and the foundation, but they can find numerous entrances to your home or building. Stopping ants once they enter your home or building can be a huge challenge. The ant colony will grow in a matter of days as ants mature from juveniles to adults and continue to scavenge for food to support the growing colony.

There are thousands of ant species around the world, but the four most commonly found in the United States are carpenter ants, pavement ants, pharaoh ants and red imported ants.

Identifying the ant species and the source of entry is important to eradicating them. My Pest Pros technicians are trained to help identify the type of ant, how they are entering the home or building and what may be attracting them. While many commercially available products will eliminate ants that come into contact with these products, only by eradicating the colony will you be able to solve the problem.

Here’s additional information on common ant species found in the United States and around Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Carpenter Ants:

About five eighths inches long. They tend to burrow in damp wood but may damage solid wood by burrowing inside to build a nest.

Pavement Ants:

About one-eighth inch in length. Typically they build nests in pavement cracks but may infest homes and buildings.

Pharaoh Ants:

About one-sixteenth inch long. Commonly found in hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants, apartment and condominium buildings. They are capable of transmitting Staphylecoccus and Psuedomonas infections.

Red Imported Fire Ants:

Vary from one-eighth to three-eighths inches in size. Their large mounds around their nests are noticeable as are their painful stings.

Another ant species frequently found in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. is the Odorous House Ant. These black or brown insects range in size from one-sixteenth of an inch to one-eighth of an inch long. This ant gets its name from the strong, rotten coconut-like smell it gives off when crushed. Odorous house ants like to eat sweets, especially melon. These ants do not pose a public health risk, but they can contaminate food and should be avoided. They typically living for several years and make their homes in exposed soil and wall voids.