Atkins Companies



	Other Ants Acrobat Ants (Crematorgaster spp.): Color: Yellowish brown to black; abdomen usually darker. Size of Worker: 2.5 to 4mm Foods: Sweets, meats Common Nest Location: Decayed wood; under stones; behind house veneers Comments: Heart shaped abdomen often raised above thorax; will sting and bite; invades homes for food only occasionally. Black Carpenter Ant (Camponotus Pennsylvanicus) : Color: Usually black but may be partially reddish brown Size of Worker: 6 to 12mm Foods: Sweets, meat, grease Common Nest Location: Partially decayed wood; natural cavities in wood or other objects either inside or outside. Comments: Doesn't eat wood but hollows it out to form cavity for nest. Sawdust and other debris kicked from nest often marks nest entrance. Cornfield Ant (Lasius alienus): Color: Brown to blackish Size of Worker: 2 to 2.5mm Foods: Sweets, meat Common Nest Location: Rotten wood; under stones and sidewalks; in the soil in open areas. Comments: Normally outdoors where it may produce many small mounds in the lawn; a common "picnic" ant. Crazy Ant (Paratrechina longicornis): Color: Dark brown Size of Worker: 2 to 2.5mm Foods: Sweets, meat, grease Common Nest Location: Small crevices inside buildings. Comments: Has long legs and antennae and tends to run aimlessly about, accounting for its common name. Field Ants (Formica spp.): Color: Red, brown, black, or combinations of these Size of Worker: 3 to 7mm Foods: Sweets, meats Common Nest Location: Outdoors in the soil along fences, sidewalks, flower beds. Comments: There are several species in this group that are normally outdoors and only occasionally enter homes for food. Some are mound builders. Honey Ants (Prenolepis imparis): Color: Light to dark brown Size of Worker: 3 to 4mm Foods: Sweets Common Nest Location: In soil in shady areas. Comments: Some individuals feed until their abdomens become greatly distended and they in turn feed other individuals by regurgitation. Larger Yellow Ant (Acanthomyops interjectus): Color: Yellowish to reddish brown Size of Worker: 4.5 to 5mm Foods: Sweets Common Nest Location: Old logs; stumps; under stones; along house foundation. Comments: When crushed, give off a pleasant citronella odor. Are often confused with termites when they swarm adjacent to houses. Little Black Ant (Monomorium minimum): Color: Shiny, jet black Size of Worker: 1.5 to 2mm Foods: Sweets, meats, grease, fruit, vegetables, bread Common Nest Location: Rotten wood; under rocks; in masonry; in soil. Comments: Normally nests outdoors but readily adapts to the household situation. Odorous Houst Ants (Monomorium minimum): Color: Brownish to black Size of Worker: 2 to 3mm Foods: Sweets, meats Common Nest Location: Beneath boards or stones outside; almost where inside the house Comments: When crushed, give off foul odor. Invade homes especially during rainy weather that washes away honeydew, which is their primary food. Pavement Ant (Tetramorium ceaspitum): Color: Brown to blackish brown; legs and antennae paler Size of Worker: 2.5 to 4mm Foods: Grease, seeds, meat, sweets Common Nest Location: Under stones, pavement, sidewalks; adjacent to house foundation; occasionally in walls of house. Comments: Head and thorax furrowed by parallel lines. Pharaoh Ant (Monomorium pharaonis): Color: Light yellow to red Size of Worker: 1.5 to 2mm Foods: Sweets, meat grease Common Nest Location: Wall voids; behind baseboards; other small voids Comments: Very large colonies. Often pests in hospitals and will feed on human wounds. Colonies often break-up into several colonies. Theif Ant (Solenopsis molesta): Color: Yellow to dirty brown Size of Worker: 1 to 1.5mm Foods: Grease, meats, sweets, seed Common Nest Location: Cracks and crevices of cabinets and walls. Comments: One of our smallest ants. Often lives in the nests of larger ants, stealing and feeding on the larvae of the hosts.