Ant Identification & Prevention

What are ants?

Highly social and great at working together, ants are a very successful insect species and thrive in varying conditions throughout most of the world. They live in large colonies and create multiple nesting sites. Ants are common and difficult household pests because they vary in size, behaviors, nesting sites, and food preferences depending on their species. In our area of Texas, the most common species are acrobat ants, carpenter ants, fire ants, and odorous house ants.

Are ants dangerous?

Whether or not ants are considered dangerous or not depends on their exact species:

• Acrobat ants are nuisance ants. While you don’t want them living inside with you, they pose no significant health risks to people or property. 

• Carpenter ants are a dangerous species of ant. They are capable of causing extensive and expensive to repair structural damage inside homes where they nest.

• Fire ants are also dangerous. They deliver painful venom-filled stings, and their venom is strong enough to trigger serious allergic reactions in some people. In large populations, these ants cause damage to farm crops, electrical equipment, air-conditioners, circuit breakers, and farm equipment.

• Odorous house ants are also nuisance ants. They pose no significant risks to people or property, though they do give off a pungent odor that is likened to a rotting coconut when crushed.

Why do I have an ant problem?

Ants live together in extensive colonies, and workers are always out and about searching for food to bring back to the colony. Any yard that offers ants easy access to food can become a place they forage and eventually build nests. Things like open containers of trash, compost, pet food, and gardens are common ant attractants.

Where will I find ants?

Ants nest in a variety of indoor and outdoor locations with some of the most common nesting sites being tree hollows, stumps, and under fallen trees, woodpiles, or mulch. Inside, they nest under floors, behind walls, inside insulation, in crawl spaces, and near heating systems. Fire ants prefer to nest outside and rarely create indoor nests. Carpenter ants, when living inside, prefer to tunnel through and nest in structural wood that has been previously damaged by water.

How do I get rid of ants?

For Texans looking for exceptional pest control services, turn to the locally owned and operated experts at Lonestar Safe Pest. We take pride in offering our residential and commercial pest control customers excellent customer service; customer satisfaction is our number one goal. Our experienced professionals understand the pest pressures Texas home and business owners face each day.

At Lonestar Safe Pest, we will work with you to eliminate pests from your property once and for all, using our modern pest control solutions. If you would like to learn more about our home pest control or commercial pest control services, reach out to Lonestar Safe Pest today!

How can I prevent ants in the future?

Protect your Texas property from ants with a combination of our professional ant control services and these helpful prevention tips:

• Use caulk to repair cracks in the foundation and exterior walls of your home.

• Use tight-fitting or locking lids on outdoor trash cans and compost bins.

• Remove dead trees or fallen trees and tree stumps from your yard.

• Place weatherstripping around windows and doors.

• Keep your grass cut short.

• Rinse out jars and cans before placing them in recycling bins.

• Place gardens as far away from the outside of your home as possible.

• Leave a 12-18 inch barrier between mulch, soil, or grass and the foundation.

• Cut tree branches and overgrown vegetation away from the exterior of your home.