Keep Ants Away This Fall
10/09/2018
Keeping ants away from kitchens and bathrooms is a challenge many Maryland homeowners face each spring. But how do we deal with big ant problems wh...
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An ant is an ant, right? Not quite. There are actually several species of ants home to Maryland. Some are black, some are brown, some smaller, and some larger. No matter what their color and size may be all ants are a problem when they find their way inside your home. Although some ant species are merely a nuisance, others can cause serious damage to your home.
Proper identification is the first step in solving an ant problem. As Maryland pest control experts, American Pest wants to help you identify the more common ants in Baltimore, Columbia and The District.
- Carpenter Ants
- Odorous House Ants
- Pavement Ants
Carpenter ants are a destructive species of ant capable of causing structural damage to your home. Unlike termites that eat wood, carpenter ants carve through the wood to create tunnels for their colonies. They may appear larger than other common ants and range in size from ¼ of an inch to nearly one inch long. Carpenter ants typically nest in wood with moisture issues when they start colonies indoors. If Carpenter ant activity is suspected, contact your pest control company to learn more about management solutions and damage assessment.
Odorous house ants are one of the most common ant species encountered by residents in our area. These insects are tiny enough to make an easy entrance into homes and will likely be sighted in kitchens and bathrooms during the spring and summer months. They leave a scent trail for their fellow ants to follow which is why they are often seen in a line leading from their colony into your home. Appropriately named the “odorous house ant," this tiny brown ant is easily identified by its characteristic smell (resembling that of rotten coconuts) that it gives off when crushed.
Pavement ants are much smaller than carpenter ants, reaching only 1/8 of an inch long. These ants are usually a black or dark brown color and as their name suggests they typically form their colonies beneath pavement, pavers, or along walkways. Pavement ant colonies are evidenced by a mound-shaped entrance of dirt or soil that resembles a volcano. Pavement ants are no more than an unsightly nuisance but their colonies can become quite large if left untreated.
If you have identified an ant infestation in or your home this spring, contact American Pest right away. Spraying do-it-yourself remedies may not solve the problem, especially when colonies make their homes inside the walls of homes where they become very difficult to get to. Ant colonies are best treated by proper species identification and by seeking out and eliminating nesting sites. That’s where American Pest comes in, take the stress of endless ants off of your shoulders and let the ant control pros take care of your problem right away with the highly recommended Preferred Care plan.
