Facts, Identification & Control

Pharaoh ants are a tiny species of ant that belongs to the family of sugar ants. Pharaoh ants are sometimes mistaken for Little Black ants because of their similar size. Pharoah ants often cause big problems in homes and businesses around the world.
The Pharaoh ant takes its name from the mistaken belief that this ant was one of the plagues of Egypt mentioned in the Bible. These ants are thought to be of African origin, but these days, they are found throughout the world.
At around 1/16 of an inch (1.5-2mm) long, these ants are some of the tiniest around. They are yellowish-red in color with a darker abdomen, but they are so small that you may have trouble telling what color they are without a magnifying glass.

Habitat

Pharaoh ants are a tropical species that need a high level of both heat and humidity to survive. As a result, in temperate climates, they cannot survive outdoors and only live inside buildings. In some southern States, Pharaoh ants can go dormant and survive mild winters outside. In subtropical climates such as Florida and Hawaii, Pharaoh ants can survive year-round outdoors.

Indoors, Pharaoh ants look for warm areas around 80 to 86°F/27 to 30°C. They also like a relative humidity of 80% or more. Usually, a Pharaoh ant colony will tend to be in inaccessible areas.

Typically, Pharaoh ants nest:

• In wall voids
• In bathrooms and kitchens
• Around water pipes
• Near heat registers
• Under floors.

Worker ants will forage a long way from the nest, sometimes as far as 150 feet. Once they find a food or water source, they will establish a trail for other ants to follow. Often, you will find these trails in areas with sources of food and water such as kitchens.

Behavior

These ants are omnivores and feed on a wide range of foods, but Pharaoh ants prefer sweet foods such as syrups, fruit, juice, sugar, and spilled soda pop. They are also drawn to protein sources like meat and will eat dead insects. Carbohydrates are also on the menu.

Because they are so tiny, Pharaoh ants are difficult to spot by themselves. Often, a Pharaoh ant infestation is not noticed until they have established a trail, when multiple ants can be seen following the same path toward a source of food or water. These trails can provide clues as to the location of the colony.

Pharaoh ants, like many ant species, practice a well-defined division of labor. Some ants forage for food outside the nest, while others stay back to take care of the young and the queens. Pharaoh ants are polygynous, meaning that a single colony will have multiple reproductive queens. This has important implications for the control of this species.

Reproduction

Pharaoh ants colonies are large, containing thousands or even hundreds of thousands of workers. Like many other ant species, Pharaoh ants produce winged reproductives to spread the colony. However, these winged ants never swarm like other species do. Mating takes place entirely within the nest.

Pharaoh ant colonies spread by a process called budding. A reproductive queen and a group of workers will leave the colony and find a new place to live, then establish a new nest. The new nest will not compete with the old nest, and the Pharaoh ant colonies will cooperate with one another. This process happens naturally as colonies grow, but it can be triggered by stress. This is why you should never spray a contact pesticide to kill Pharaoh ants. The pesticide will stress the colony and cause it to split, making the problem worse. Instead of having one large colony, the ants will create several smaller nests throughout the building. It’s also why it’s so important to correctly identify Pharaoh ants.

Pharaoh ant queens live from between 4 to 12 months. Queens normally lay eggs in batches of 10 to 12 at a time, but can lay up to 400 eggs after mating. It takes approximately 38 days for an egg to reach adulthood at the ant’s preferred temperature of 80°. Workers live for about 10 weeks.

As with most ants, worker ants are sterile. They spend their lives foraging for food to bring back to the nest and give to the growing larvae, or brood. Only 10% of the colony will be engaged in foraging at any given time, with the rest caring for the queen and the brood. Like other ants, the species undergoes complete metamorphosis during their lifecycle, going through distinct stages as an egg, then a limbless larvae, then pupating to become an adult ant.

Danger?

Because conventional pesticide sprays can make a Pharaoh ant problem worse, this species is one of the most difficult to deal with. They are a major pest in food production facilities and in hospitals, where they can enter wounds, IV drips, the mouths of sleeping patients, and other sensitive areas. Studies on Pharaoh ants in hospitals have found that they often carry harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus.

Due to their small size, Pharaoh ants cannot bite people or pets and do not cause any damage to the structure of buildings they live in. You don’t need to worry about if Pharaoh ants bite. Besides their potential to spread disease, they are mostly a nuisance pest.

Signs of a Pharaoh Ant Infestation

Pharaoh ants are very good at staying hidden. They nest in isolated places such as wall voids, so the nests are often difficult to find. Also, they use electrical wiring and heat and water pipes to move through a building. As a result, you can have Pharaoh ant infestations for a long time without knowing it.

Usually, the main sign of an infestation is by visually spotting the ants themselves. Once they have found a source of food or water, this species of sugar ant will establish a pheromone trail that other ants will follow. Once they establish ant trails, they can be seen returning again and again.

Pharaoh Ant Control

Indoor Control

You should never spray a contact pesticide to kill Pharaoh ants.  This will encourage the colony to spread. Even household cleaners could stress the ants and promote budding.

The only way to get rid of Pharaoh ants is to use a non-toxic bait. Sugar-based baits usually have better results because Pharaoh ants prefer sweets, but protein-based baits can also work depending on where the colony is in its lifecycle. The food preferences of these ants change over time, so it’s a good idea to use multiple different types of bait to make sure the ants consume it.

Recommended Product: Advance Dual Choice Ant Bait Stations

Pharaoh ants are extremely difficult to control, and you’ll need plenty of patience. Set up bait stations in areas where you’ve seen foraging workers, but be aware that the ants can change their foraging behavior without warning.

Outdoor Control

In temperate climates, Pharaoh ants can’t live outdoors. It’s only in subtropical climates that these ants can survive outside year-round. If you live in an area where these ants can live outdoors, look for bait that can be used outside. Because of their budding behavior, bait is the best method to deal with Pharaoh ant infestations whether they are indoors or outdoors.

Best Products to Get Rid of Pharaoh Ants

Inside the House:

Indoors baiting is the best way to get rid of Pharaoh ants. Indoor Ant bait comes in different forms and shapes. There are gel ant baits, liquids, granules, and bait stations. Since Pharaoh ants are omnivorous and have fickle feeding patterns, it’s a good idea to use multiple types of bait so that the ants always have something attractive to eat.

Baits come in two main types: sugar-based, and protein-based.

Recommended Bait Types:

Sugar Based Bait:

Maxforce Quantum Liquid Bait

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Protein/Grease Based Bait:

Advance375a Ant Bait

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Ant Bait Stations:

Pharaoh ant bait stations are a great way to deal with Pharaoh ants that nest indoors. By keeping the bait contained in a pre-filled reservoir, bait stations can help avoid messy spills. They also keep the bait safe from young children or family pets that may be tempted to investigate. When it comes to dealing with Pharaoh ants, bait stations are often the preferred method of control.

For more information on ant bait stations click here to see our full Ant Traps and Bait Stations Review.

Recommended Ant Bait Station:

Advance Dual Choice Ant Bait Stations

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Best Products for Outside the House:

Unless you live in a tropical climate, you don’t need to worry about Pharaoh ants living outside the house. These heat-loving ants need constant warmth to survive and reproduce, and could only survive outdoors in reliably hot and humid climates.

If you do live in a place where Pharaoh ants live outdoors, though, baiting remains the best way to deal with these creatures. That’s because it can prevent Pharaoh ants from becoming stressed and spreading. Look for outdoor bait stations that can be set up where Pharaoh ants forage.

Recommended Outdoor Bait Station:

Terro Outdoor Liquid Ant Bait Station

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Preventing Infestations

• In single-family homes, Pharaoh ants usually enter through food brought in from stores or from secondhand furniture. Inspect these items carefully before bringing them into your home to avoid Pharaoh ant problems.
• In multi-family residences such as apartment buildings, Pharaoh ants spread between apartments. Use fire-resistant silicon caulking to seal gaps around heat and water pipes to prevent ants from coming inside and finding foraging sites.
• Clean up food spills immediately.
• Keep food in sealed containers such as glass and tupperware.
• Don’t leave pet food out overnight.
• Fix leaking taps and pipes.
• Use liquid or gel ant bait or bait stations if you see ants foraging inside.

Resources

• http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/ants/pharaoh_ant.htm

• Wikipedia

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Fire ants are nobody’s idea of a good time. If you have an ant colony on your property, you may have noticed the large mounds of soil that these creatures create. And you may have even been on the receiving end of their sting.

Ants are closely related to wasps, and can sting just like their wasp cousins do. Fire ant bites and stings are a painful result of getting too close to fire ant mounds. Like wasps, they have a barb in their abdomen which they will use in defense of the nest. So while people often talk about fire ant bites, with this species, it’s the sting in the tail that you need to worry about.

Fire ant injuries are bad for anyone. And your pets are not immune. These creatures, originally imported from South America to the southeastern United States, usually nest outdoors, where they can easily come into contact with dogs and outdoor cats. However, these insects have also been known to come inside homes when foraging for food. It’s even possible for them to nest inside wall voids, so even indoors, your pet may not be safe.Tip: How to control Fire Ants.

If your pet disturbs a fire ant nest, the fire ants attack. When a fire ant stings, it bites first to anchor itself. Then it curls its abdomen up underneath its body to inject venom and stabs multiple times. While it’s stinging, the ant also releases a defense pheromone which will cause other fire ants to come to its aid. So it’s very common to receive multiple stings at one time from these creatures, especially if you’re close to an ant hill.

Dogs that are prone to digging are especially vulnerable. However, your pet doesn’t have to disturb the nest to get stung. Fire ants love to feed on protein, and pet food can be an excellent source of it. Often, especially if pets are fed outside, the ants will swarm over a food bowl. So when your dog or cat goes to eat, it could get a nasty surprise.

When fire ants attack, they will actively look for areas on your pet’s body that are less protected by fur. So stings to a dog’s muzzle are very common. Paws, snouts and the stomach are also regular targets.

Luckily, an attack from fire ants is very unlikely to be life-threatening. Usually, it’s nothing more than a painful learning experience for your pet. Only in cases of allergic reactions or your pet receiving hundreds of things should you seek immediate veterinary attention.

What to do if Your Pet Gets Bitten by Fire Ants

If your furry friend does have a run-in with fire ants, the quicker you can respond, the better. First, you’ll want to stop any more stings from developing. Next, you’ll want to treat the stings your pet already received. Lastly, you’ll need to monitor the animal to make sure there are no further problems.

Stop the stinging

You could also use a brush or comb to remove the insects before they can do more damage. While it may be tempting, it’s not a good idea to grab the garden hose and hose your dog down. This can often cause the ants to cling on harder and sting more. It’s better to remove them individually than to try and get rid of them all at once. The ants may continue stinging until you’ve removed each one of them.

Remember that the ants struggle to sting through thick fur. So the sting sites will often be on paws, muzzles, and other places where the fur is thinner.

Also, get your animal away from the insects. If it’s close to a mound, you’ll want to get your pet as far away as possible. If the ants have swarmed your pet’s food bowl, you can remove your pet from the area or remove the food bowl – whichever is easier. Remember that ants can sting multiple times, so every insect you prevent from attacking your pet can lead to a lot less pain for the poor animal.

Treat the stings

Once you’ve removed the insects from your cat or dog and made sure no further injuries will develop, you’ll want to treat the injuries the animal already received. Ice on the affected area can help with the swelling caused by the bug’s venom, but good luck getting your pet to go along with that treatment. An easier option might be to give the animal a cool bath to soothe its skin. You can also use oatmeal in this bath, which is proven to reduce the itchiness and burning sensation associated with the venom.

If your pet has received multiple stings and appears to be having a bad reaction, you can give both dogs and cats antihistamine medications intended for humans, such as Benadryl.

But be careful with the dosage. For both dogs and cats, the correct dosage is 1 mg of Benadryl per pound of body weight. But make sure you don’t give this medication to pets with cardiovascular problems or high blood pressure. If in doubt, consult the vet before administering any medication. As painful as these wounds can be, they are unlikely to cause lasting damage, whereas improper use of medication can.

Give your dog a cool bath to soothe its skin

The initial swelling of the sting can quickly fade, but it is often replaced with the formation of a large pimple. The pain and discomfort caused by these pimples can be relieved by various topical creams, but consult a vet before applying any ointment. Some can have negative effects on cats and dogs, especially given the animal’s habit of licking them off and accidentally swallowing them.

Because the wounds often cause itching, you may need to get a collar to prevent your pet from scratching at its bites. Scratching can break the skin and easily cause secondary infection, which can end up being a much bigger problem than the insect stings would normally have been.

Monitor for further symptoms

Just like us, dogs and cats can have allergies to various substances, including the venom of ants. So if your pet has an encounter with these creatures, keep a close eye on it in the hours that follow. If your pet has a severe allergic reaction, symptoms will manifest quickly.

The symptoms of a severe allergic reaction include lethargy, drooling, vomiting, and trouble breathing. The presence of these symptoms indicates that the animal may be going into anaphylactic shock, and this anaphylactic reaction can be life-threatening. If these symptoms do manifest, don’t hesitate to take your pet to an emergency vet. Anaphylaxis can be arrested if treated quickly, but if not, it can most certainly be life-threatening.

Because of this risk, it’s always worth considering comprehensive pet insurance if you live in a place where fire ants are common.

If your dog starts drooling or vomiting, do not hesitate to take your pet to an emergency vet

Fortunately, the vast majority of animals won’t have a reaction as severe. For most pets, the stings of these tiny creatures are nothing more than a painful nuisance.

As the wounds heal, you can help to relieve the intense itching with a paste made from baking soda and water. This will provide some relief without doing any harm to the animal. Alternatively, a 50-50 mix of water and apple cider vinegar can also relieve some of the symptoms of the venom. Keep an eye on your pet’s wounds to make sure that they don’t get infected.

Prevent Your Dog or Cat from Being Stung by Ants

In pest control, as in so many other areas of life, it’s better to prevent the problem from happening in the first place than to try and deal with it once it’s already occurred. Unfortunately, it can be tricky to keep your pets from having encounters with fire ants. Dogs love to explore their environment. And outdoor cats tend to be fascinated by the movement of small creatures. Additionally, the insects are often the cause of the problem, by seeking out and eating the animal’s food.

To prevent your pet from being attacked, try the following:

Use citronella oil

Human bug repellent spray isn’t suitable for use on pets. But citronella oil is a natural pest repellent that you can safely use on your furry companions. Citronella has been used for many years to repel mosquitoes, but it has also been found to have a repellent effect on ants. You can dilute citronella oil with water and spray it on your pet’s coat before it goes outside to help keep bugs away. As always, check with your vet to make sure this is appropriate for your dog.

Keep an eye on your animal

The best way to prevent an issue is to monitor your pet’s outdoor activity and make sure it doesn’t get into trouble. If you have mounds on your property, try to keep your pet away from them. Bear in mind that small mounds are often hard to spot, but can quickly develop into larger nests. New nests can form throughout the summer, so it’s a good idea to monitor the situation regularly. If you do see your dog or cat venturing toward a nest mound, steer it away. It may require some additional training, but animals can be taught to avoid these bugs.

Secure pet food

If you feed your pets outside, this can often cause run-ins with bugs. Fire ants love the high-protein food that we give to our pets, and will often swarm food bowls in large numbers. This creates conflict when the animal goes to feed, causing the insects to feel as though they are being attacked and to sting in defense.

Try moving pet food bowls to areas far away from nests. You can make them inaccessible to the creatures through the use of bug-proof pet bowls. Since ants can’t swim, surrounding pet food with a moat of water or oil can help to keep them away.

• React quickly

No matter what you do, if you have fire ants and cats or dogs on the same property, there’s always a possibility that they will run into one another in the most painful way. If that happens, all you can do is act quickly to alleviate your animal’s pain. Remove the stinging pests, get the pet out of the area, and treat the burning with a cool bath. Antihistamine medication can be helpful, but if you need anything stronger, you’ll need to talk to a vet. And remember to keep an eye on your pet to make sure it doesn’t have a severe allergic reaction.

Get Rid of the Ants

The best long-term solution to protect your pets is to make sure there are no ants on your property. Remove ants from your home, and get rid of ants in your garden. Fire ants can create nests of up to half a million individual insects, and they often change the location of these nests. Also, Fire ants are aggressively territorial. If you do succeed in getting all of this species off your property, you only make it more attractive for more of them to invade. And it doesn’t take much. Nests are started by a single queen who can fly in, often from a long way away.

But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are several powerful ant killers on the market that can help you take care of these pests.

Boiling water

For a fast, easy, affordable, and effective way to deal with a nest, boil some water. Boiling water will kill any ants that come into contact with it. The mounds of soil these creatures create make the colonies relatively easy to spot. Pouring boiling water onto an ant nest can kill 60 to 70% of the ants in the colony, greatly reducing their numbers and the likelihood of any conflicts with pests. But be careful. Boiling water is inherently dangerous, and it doesn’t even need to touch you to scald. Also, the insects will defend their nest. Wear gloves, sturdy shoes, and long pants when performing this treatment to make it harder for the bugs to attack you.

Boiling water is effective at killing ants, but it’s unlikely to eradicate the colony completely. When a nest is attacked, the queen will dig deeper into the soil while the rest of the workers defend her and the juveniles. Also, some nests, such as those of the red imported fire ant, have multiple queens. You’re probably not going to kill these queens by pouring boiling water onto the soil. But you will reduce the size of the colony without having to use toxic chemicals.

Pesticide spray

If you can get hold of it, there’s no better ant killer on the market than Talstar. This concentrated pesticide needs to be heavily diluted with water before use and will require some specialized equipment such as a pump or backpack sprayer. But it’s well worth the trouble it takes to use it properly. Talstar kills ants on contact and also provides residual protection. You can apply it directly to mounds, or else spray around the perimeter of your home to provide a barrier that will kill any ants that cross it for months after the application.

Talstar is designed for use by professionals, and as a result, it can be hard to source. If you can’t get a hold of it, try Ortho Orthene instead. This powder product is applied directly to the mounds, and the ants bring it into the colony with them as they come into contact with it. It’s an effective pesticide that is easier to get hold of than Talstar, and it’s much easier to use. All you need to do is dump a tablespoon of the product on top of the nest and let it do its work. However, Orthene is notorious for having a foul smell. If you have a lot of colonies to treat, this could become an issue that interferes with your enjoyment of your yard. On the other hand, the foul smell might actually help to keep your dogs away from the mounds, so it could be a hidden bonus for you.

No matter which product you choose, it’s a good idea to follow-up any treatment with Ortho broadcast granules. This pesticide provides great long-term fire ant control, and can even prevent the formation of new nests for months after treatment. That way, you and your dogs and cats can enjoy the yard through the summer without having to worry about the venom of these pesky little creatures.

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Can ants bite? They sure can. In the insect world, these creatures are fearsome predators.  And for most species, their bite is their primary form of both attack and defense. Ants use their jaws to eat, to carry food back to the nest, and to dismember larger insects to eat them, too. So if an ant feels threatened, it most definitely will bite.

However, these are tiny creatures. While their mandibles may be fearsome to other insects, surely they don’t stand much chance of hurting an animal as large as a human, do they?

Usually, no. Most species of ant lack the size or jaw strength to harm a human. But there are thousands of different species in the world, including some that are very capable of hurting you. Australia’s bulldog ants are known for their aggression and tenacity and are willing and able to give a painful bite to people. Then there’s the South American bullet variety, generally regarded as possessing the most painful bite of any insect in the world. So painful, in fact, that it is frequently compared to being shot with a gun. There are also Africa’s famous army ants, which have been known to kill mammals using nothing but their powerful bite and overwhelming numbers.

Fortunately, very few of us are likely to ever run into these exotic species. But that doesn’t mean you’re entirely safe. There are ants capable of delivering a painful bite that could be sharing your property with you. They could even be living in your home.

In the US, when we talk about biting ants, we’re really talking about two species. There’s the Carpenter, and the Fire ant. Both of these ants are capable of causing pain, but they do so, and the reasons why they might bite, are very different. Also, the treatment for each bite varies according to species. So let’s look at these two biting insects and see how best to deal with them.

Carpenter Ant Bites

Carpenter ants are native to North America and are one of the largest types found on the continent. The biggest individuals can be close to an inch in length. And these creatures aren’t just big. They have a fearsome look about them, as though they are wearing armor. Seeing a group of these insects on your property can be an alarming experience.

And you’re right to be alarmed. These creatures take their name from the habit of nesting in wood. While they will often chew out rotten and water damaged wood, they don’t need to. Their jaw is strong enough to carve holes in solid wooden beams.

Given that these ants can chew through wood, it’s obvious that they have powerful jaws. Jaws that are strong enough to break human skin. As a result, carpenter ants are one of the few species capable of delivering a painful ant bite that can feel like a sharp pinch. Those with softer or thinner skin are especially at risk, so children and the elderly are more likely to feel a bite from these bugs.

However, the carpenters don’t leave it there. As members of the Formicidae family, these creatures are capable of producing formic acid inside their bodies. This acid serves many purposes in the life of the carpenters, but among other things, they use it for defense. When a carpenter bites, it may also spray the wound with acid from its acidopore, an orifice at the very back of the ant’s body, where the animal would have its sting if it were a wasp. In fact, all ants are closely related to wasps, which explains why some of them possess these chemical defense mechanisms.

People sometimes talk about getting ant stings, and it’s easy to see where the confusion comes from. Ants like Carpenter ants bite rather than stinging. But when you’re feeling the pain of an ant bite, you may not care too much whether it’s a bite or a sting.

Fortunately, bites from this species are rare. They don’t go looking for people to bite. In general, these guys are barely aware of our existence. They come into conflict with humans mainly over food, since they will eat more or less anything that we will. Also, unfortunately, our homes often provide these creatures with a great place to set up a nest. This is the most common reason for bites, as ants will defend their nest against any attacker, no matter their size. People sometimes get bitten when trying to wipe out a colony of these bugs. That’s why, if you’re tackling a nest, it’s a good idea to wear protective gear. Gloves and long sleeves at the minimum.

Treating Carpenter Ant Bites:

Bites may be rare. But if they do happen, there are a few steps you can take to reduce the pain and any unpleasant side effects.

• Wash the wound with soap and water. Ants are clean creatures, but there is always a risk of infection any time anything pierces your skin. Washing immediately with soap and water will wipe out any bacteria that could have travelled from the insect’s mouth to your skin.
• Apply ice. A cold pack pressed to the wound will help to reduce any swelling that may be caused by the injury. Apply an ice pack for 20 minutes at a time, and then leave it off for 20 minutes to make sure you don’t damage your skin.
• Baking soda. Baking soda neutralizes acid. So if the creature sprayed you with formic acid, this household product could help alleviate the painful reaction. Mix baking soda with water to create a thick paste and smear it onto the wound to neutralize the effect of the bug’s chemical defense.
• Hydrocortisone cream. If the swelling, burning, or itching sensation persists, you could try applying some hydrocortisone cream to the wound. This medication is readily available from most drugstores, and will quickly alleviate the symptoms of an insect sting. However, don’t overuse it. This medication has been found to thin the skin when used for prolonged periods, so only use it when you need it.

Fire Ant Bites

When it comes to biting ants in the US, carpenters are amateurs. The true kings – or queens, since ant colonies are overwhelmingly female – are the fire ants.

These creatures take their name from the burning sensation they produce when they attack. But while it’s true that these venomous insects do bite, it’s not the bite you need to worry about. Instead, like their wasp cousins, it’s the sting in the tail you need to watch out for.

When one of these critters attacks, it will bite into the skin. But that’s just to keep it attached. The real damage comes when the creature curls up its abdomen underneath it and delivers a sting. Like wasps, these bugs have a venomous stinger at the back of their bodies that allows them to inject fire ant venom into anything they perceive to be a threat. And like wasps, these venomous insects can deliver multiple stings at a time.

What’s even worse is that while the creature is stinging you, it will also release a pheromone, a chemical signal that tells its nest mates that there is a threat. Within seconds, more ants will arrive with their own fire ant venom. And they won’t hesitate to join in the fight. For this reason, when people get fire ant stings, they usually get stung multiple times. Sometimes even hundreds of times.

Different species have spread throughout much of the US. The European variety is found in the northeast of the country, and also along the West Coast. But these creatures are most prevalent in the warmer southern states. In fact, the southern states are home to an invasive variety, the red imported fire ant, or RIFA. Brought to the country from South America in the 1930s, these bugs have spread throughout the South, out-competing and overwhelming many native species along the way. These creatures form huge colonies of up to half a million ants and may have multiple queens inside the nest to keep producing more. As a result, it is estimated that around 14 million people are stung each year by these creatures.

Most commonly, people get stung while out in their yards. The bugs like to build colonies in sunny areas and usually nest in soil. When people get too close to the mound where the fire ants live, they can get defensive and swarm what they perceive to be the intruder. These creatures will sting adults, children, dogs, and cats indiscriminately. They have no fear when it comes to defending their colony.

In most cases, the sting is felt as a sharp burning sensation. The painful feeling will subside after a few minutes, but the skin will redden and start to swell. Within 24 hours, small pustules typically develop at the site of the sting. Though painful, these pimples are sterile and are caused by the alkaloids in the creature’s venom.

The venom of one of these creatures is composed almost entirely of these alkaloids. However, there is also a small amount of protein, and it’s this protein that can cause bigger problems. It’s estimated somewhere between one and 6% of people are allergic to the venom. And when that happens, the reaction can be far more severe.

Some people can have what’s known as large local reactions. These reactions to ant venom result in extensive swelling, up to 4 inches across, around the site of the injury. These reactions are very painful and can last for up to 72 hours.

Even worse, in a small group of people, the sting of this bug can cause anaphylaxis. This is a kind of toxic shock that creates a whole-body reaction and if left untreated, can even prove life threatening. These severe reactions to the fire ant’s bite are characterized by flushing of the skin, hives, shortness of breath, nausea, swelling, and trouble breathing. It’s possible for the swelling to close up the victim’s airways and cause them to suffocate. In severe cases like these, medical attention must be sought immediately. An EpiPen should be administered if available.

Fortunately, very few people will have such a severe reaction. Strangely, these reactions are most common in people who have been stung in the past by either wasps or ants, which sensitizes them to the venom of the fire ant. Even stranger, some other bugs use the formic acid they produce to protect themselves against fire ants. Formic acid can neutralize the alkaloids of the sting. However, it’s not recommended that you use a carpenter ant to neutralize a fire ant sting. More likely, you’ll just end up getting stung twice.

Here’s what you should do:

Treating Fire Ant Bites

• Wash the wound with soap and water. As with any injury, it’s important to minimize the risk of secondary infection. Wash immediately and keep the wound clean afterwards so that bacteria don’t take hold and cause more problems.
• Apply ice or a cold compress. As with the carpenters, the coldness will help keep the swelling of your skin in check. Just remember to remove the ice pack from your skin after 20 minutes to prevent causing any more damage.
• Vinegar. The Carpenter’s defense mechanism is based on acid, but that of the fire ant is alkaline. For that reason, acid can neutralize the stings. Dab the wound with apple cider vinegar or white vinegar to make the venom less potent.
• Hydrocortisone cream. Just as with other species, this cream can help reduce the itching and swelling that often accompanies a sting. It’s a good idea to keep a supply in the house, especially during the summer, when stings from this creature are more likely. Just remember not to use it too much, as it can thin the skin over time.
• Antihistamine. A large part of what causes the pain from a sting is your body’s reaction as it tries to fight off infection. It’s this histamine reaction that causes extensive swelling of your skin. This can be diminished by the use of an antihistamine such as Benadryl or other anti-allergy medication. This can be taken as an oral medicine or applied as a topical cream to the affected areas to counteract a more severe reaction.
• Let the pustules heal. The welts caused by the sting of these creatures are unsightly, to say the least. They can also be extremely itchy. But it’s important not to scratch them. Beneath the skin, these lumps are sterile, but if you break the skin, you’re opening a pathway for infection. If the skin does get broken, clean the wound with soap and water, and apply an antibiotic cream. Then bandage the wound to keep it clean.

For Severe Allergic Reactions:

Seek medical attention immediately. If the patient has an EpiPen, administer it. Emergency responders can give you more advice to take care of the patient until help arrives. Anaphylactic reactions can be extremely dangerous and must be treated straightaway.

Don’t think it can’t happen. Fire ants, small as they may be, have been known to kill people in the past. In fact, it is estimated that fire ants cause as many as ten deaths per year in the US. Often, these deaths occur in hospitals and nursing homes, among patients whose immune systems are already weakened.

Remember, fire ants bite when they feel threatened. Often, the best way to prevent ant bites is to avoid fire ants and other biting species of ants such as harvester ants completely. Protective clothing like long pants can also help avoid the burning pain these ants can deliver.

In times of flooding, RIFAs have been known to evacuate their nests and go looking for a new place to rebuild. When this happens, the creatures are even more aggressive than usual, as they need to protect their queen without a nest to hide in. Bedridden patients are especially vulnerable, since they can’t move away from the stinging ants.

Fortunately, these tragic events are quite rare. For most people, the sting of these insects is a nuisance, and a painful reminder that size isn’t everything. These small creatures are more than capable of defending themselves.

Facts, Identification & Control

Grease Ants

Grease ants – What they look like, How you get them & How to get rid of them.

Solenopsis molesta

Habitat

The habitat of grease ants is wide, since they can survive anywhere. They can live in people’s homes, under floor boards or in cracks on the wall. They can also build their nests just about anywhere, but most of the time they build it near the area where they steal from. Outdoors, they can usually be seen nesting:

• Under rocks
• Exposed soil
• Rotting logs
• Pastures
• Meadows
• Prairies & plowed fields

Solenopsis Molesta or grease ants are native to the United States and are found in the Eastern, Western and Central parts of the county. Their presence in California, Illinois, Mississippi, North Dakota and Texas were notable as of January 2020 data.  

Behavior

Colonies of grease ants often have between a hundred to a few thousand worker ants. These colonies were found as polygynous, having up to eight queens in one nest. When a colony has a reliable and stable food source, they don’t have as many worker ants since they have enough food supply readily available. These ants are common in homes and because of their small size, they can even get inside sealed packages of food. They also eat almost anything, including dead animals, fungal spores, larva of host ants etc. They can also tolerate travelling long distances in search for food.

Grease ants also feed on grease and greasy foods, proteins, dead insects and sometimes, they also feed on sweets. They often steal food and larvae from nests of other ants. They travel in set trails inside cabinets, on walls and along the baseboard.

Reproduction

Mating of the grease ants take place from July to late fall. Their queen and drones have wings, and mating happens while flying. Queens can lay between 27 to 387 eggs per day, but the average is around 105 eggs per day. It takes around 52 days for an egg to develop to a fully mobile worker.

A newly hatched grease ant appears almost the same as the adult but lacks color at this stage. As they become older and stronger, they eventually get a darker color. The coloration is brought about by deposition of chitin and some other pigments usually takes place after about 2 days, and then one cannot distinguish the younger ants from the older ants.

Danger?

There are several accounts of these ants infesting houses in the country. There were reports that the ants being found in great numbers where they have access to vegetable food, olive oil and grease. It’s been called the most abundant and annoying ant in the state of New York. One individual said that he had trouble in preserving his collection of insects from this predator, as his collection box got invaded by grease ants. They occasionally leave their natural haunts and build their nest in houses where they occupy and become pests in kitchens and pantries.

Grease ants also carry diseases. They can contaminate food or utensils with pathogens when foraging food inside your house. They are also known as an intermediate host for poultry tapeworm.

Signs of a Grease Ant Infestation

Signs of infestation include seeing these small ants on counter tops, kitchen cabinets or cupboards where most food is kept. Any area where they’re most likely are where there are traces or spots of oils or grease. If you see a trail of these ants, you can follow the trail and check if there is a nest somewhere in the house. 

Controlling Grease Ants

The first step would be identifying what type of ant you are dealing with. This is important because the methods, especially baits will depend on the type of ant you’re trying to get rid of, and different ants have different food preferences depending on the stage in their lifecyle. Some species

Note: Baits are not recommended for grease ants nesting outdoors. Control recommendations differ depending on where the colony of the grease ants is located.

Total Control – Ant Kit

If you are unsure about the ant type that is infesting your home or if you are looking for a single solution to get rid of Grease Ants (or any type of ant) indoors and out, then our Ant Kit is the way to go. It is set up to provide all the products and bait stations you need to treat any type of ant in the USA. You can read more about Ant Kits here, or if you want to purchase a kit now, simply click the button below:

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Indoor Control

Using a chemical ant bait, mix this with a grease or oil, like vegetable oil or peanut butter. This mix requires trial and error since there has been no documented exact proportions. You need to add enough grease to this bait-mix so it’s enticing but not too much that it will dilute the active ingredient of the bait and reduce its level of effectiveness.

Add one drop of oil to about 5 to 10 drops of the bait on a piece of board or wax paper or into an ant station. You can also use small squares of cardboard where you see that ants trailing. Place the bait in areas where ants often go to. If it doesn’t appear that it’s attracting ants, add a few more drops or try another type of oil. 

Recommended Product:  Terro Liquid Ant Bait

Outdoor Control

Ant baits combined with grease will not work outdoors for these ants. The best option is to locate the nest and treat it firsthand. The key is following the trail of ants backward from where they are going (food source). Once you are able to trace where the nest is, you can directly spray it with an ant spray

Recommended Product: Raid Ant Spray

Best Products to Get Rid of Grease Ants

Inside the House:

Luring or baiting grease ants is a common and effective way of getting rid of them. Mix ant baits with food that attracts them the most to lure them in and kill them. In this case, you mix ant baits with grease or protein-based food. You can use vegetable oil or olive oil and peanut butter.

Recommended Bait Types:

Protein/Grease Based Bait:

Terro Liquid Ant Bait

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Protein/Grease Based Bait:

Amdro Ant Bait

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Best Products for Outside the House:

Bait stations are the usual control method used inside the house, but baiting is not that effective outdoors. The best method for grease ants is to hunt down their nest and directly treat it with air sprays or insecticides approved in your state. It is challenging to locate the nest sometimes, and if this is the case, an alternative option is to treat the perimeter of your house to prevent them from getting inside.

Recommended Ant Products for Outside:

Raid Ant and Roach Spray

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Amdro Ant Block Perimeter

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Consider Seeking Professional Help

If an infestation persists and you don’t want to go through the hassle of getting rid of them yourself, you can consider contacting an exterminator. An exterminator will be able to help you find where the nests are, and they also have access to powerful baits and insecticides. Use this search tool to find an exterminator near you. We will help you pick the best possible Pest Extermination Service Provider in your area.

Preventing Infestations

There are different ways that you can take note of to prevent infestation of grease ants.

• Move things around, move potential nest sites. They can nest right about anywhere, including buildings nests near and in your house. It’s best to move anything they might use as a nesting place away from your house. Possible nesting places are landscape timbers, firewood, mulch and vegetation.
• Cut off their access to moisture. They like loitering and nesting in areas that are damp. Fix broken pipes, clogged gutters and any other forms of water source.
• Keep your area clean and free of grease. Grease ants get attracted to oils and other protein-based food. Minimize their access to these by ensuring that you have wiped your kitchen surfaces. Keep food in sealed containers and clean up any food crumbs, left overs and even left-over pet food each night. Do not leave dirty dishes in the sink. Clean your floors and take out your garbage daily.

Resources

• Wikipedia
• Wikihow
• AntWiki
• CABI.org
• UCIPM (http://ipm.ucanr.edu/TOOLS/ANTKEY/thief.html)
• Nytimes.com

Facts, Identification & Control

Moisture ant is the common name for several different species, most of which belong to the Lasius genus. What they have in common is a preference for nesting in areas of high moisture, such as wet soil and water-damaged wood.

Moisture ants are found throughout the United States and around the world. However, they are less common in the Gulf Coast states and desert states, due to their preference for high levels of humidity.

Typically, these ants are around 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch (2 to 3 mm) long. They are often black in color, but can also be yellow ants or red or dark brown to black, so color is not a reliable way of identifying these ants. These are some of the most common ants in the areas where they live, and you’re very likely to find a moisture ant colony in your home or garden.

Habitat

As the name implies, moisture ants like to nest in areas of high humidity. Soil that gets lots of water is a favorite choice to build a colony. They will also nest in rotten wood, especially wood that is in contact with damp soil. Unlike carpenter ants, they can’t infest sound wood, but they are capable of excavating nests in wet and rotting wood.

Outdoors, these ants often nest in decaying wood such as rotting logs, stumps, fence posts, and woodpiles. They will also nest underneath mulch, under dense shrubbery, and under rocks.

These ants often come indoors to forage for food, particularly when their outside food sources have been depleted. Because they like to feed on the honeydew produced by aphids, they often come inside after rain washes away this important food source.

Moisture ants are capable of nesting inside homes, and will naturally gravitate towards areas of high humidity. Water damaged wood is a likely place to find them, but they can also nest in wall voids where there is a water leak, in potted plants, or in damp soil underneath cracks in the foundations of the house.

In other words, just about anyone can have a moisture ant problem, making moisture ant control necessary.

Behavior

Incapable of biting or stinging humans, moisture ants are usually considered a nuisance pest. Outdoors, they eat a wide range of foods, including fruits, nuts, other insects, meat, and anything else they can find. However, like many ant species, they prefer the honeydew produced by aphids, and worker ants will actively tend these tiny bugs to protect their food source. This can lead to damage to garden plants, since the ants protect the aphids and allow their population to grow.

Inside the house, ants will seek out excess moisture and can often be found in kitchens and bathrooms, especially if there has been a leak that has created moist wood or rotted wood where ants can nest in the damp environments they like. Food in kitchens often attracts them too, especially sweets such as syrup and soda pop spills.

Reproduction

Moisture ant colonies are monogynous, meaning they have a single reproductive queen. The other members of the colony are sterile females. Colonies can be large depending on the specific species, with some nests numbering tens of thousands of individual ants.

In a mature colony, the queen will produce winged ants that are capable of reproduction at certain times of the year. These winged ants can be either male or female. On a warm day in summer, the ants will emerge from the colony and take part in a nuptial flight, where they will mate in the air. Males die soon after, and the females fly off to form new nests of their own.

The new queens will seek out an area of damp soil or rotten wood where they can start laying eggs. The first ants that hatch will be small workers that the queen will feed with her own food reserves and the muscles of her discarded wings. These early workers will then help the queen raise the next generation of ants.

Danger?

Moisture ant infestation is generally no more than a nuisance. While they can nest in wood inside your home, they can only colonize wood that has already been damaged by water, so they won’t cause any structural damage that didn’t already exist the way that Carpenter ants do. They can’t bite or sting.  

Signs of a Moisture Ant Infestation

Outside, you may see ant trails established on your property, especially around bushes that attract aphids. Some moisture ant species will build small mounds above their nests. Other times, you might see large numbers of these ants close to damp wood.

Inside, the first noticeable sign of moisture ants is the ants themselves. If they find a source of food or water in your home, they will establish a trail that will attract more ants. Often, these ants can be found drinking the condensation that collects on water pipes underneath kitchen and bathroom sinks.

If ants are nesting inside the home, you may see them disappearing into cracks in walls or holes around water pipes. Usually, this indicates the presence of water-damaged wood. However, they can also sometimes nest in the soil underneath the house and emerge through cracks in the foundations. This is especially alarming when a nuptial flight emerges inside the house, which can happen if a mature nest is present. Flying ants are drawn to light and will usually head for the nearest window, so seeing lots of flying ants inside your windows is a sure sign there is a nest nearby.

Controlling Moisture Ants

If you’re looking to remove moisture ants, it’s good to know this ant species can be controlled in two ways. When you can find the nest, you can target it directly with a long-lasting residual pesticide. If the nest is indoors, aerosols and foams work great to penetrate the entire nest and kill the queen and her brood. Outdoors, saturating the soil or wood the ants are nesting in with a liquid pesticide is usually sufficient to kill the nest.

Recommended Product: Demon Max insecticide

If you’re not sure where the nest is, a better option may be to use ant bait. Ant bait contains a slow-acting stomach poison mixed with an attractive bait. The ants will carry the bait back to the colony themselves and feed it to the queen and her brood. Over time, the poison will spread through the colony and kill the ants.

Moisture ants are especially attracted to sweet liquids, so look for sugar-based bait in liquid form.

Recommended Moisture Ant Bait: Advion Gel Bait

Outdoor Control

Mound Treatment

The best method to control moisture ants outdoors is to directly target their nests. Look for mounds, and check under rocks and logs, fallen trees, or anywhere wood comes into contact with the soil, causing wood decay. Once the nest has been located, saturate it with residual pesticides such as Cy-Kick.

You can also use the same residual pesticide to perform a perimeter spray of your house to keep the ants from coming inside. Spray from ground level to a height of three feet up the walls of the house, and spray between three to six feet out from the house in all directions. Even after the pesticide is dry, it will kill any ants that come into contact with it.

If you are considering hiring an exterminator to deal with this structural pest, then check out this article which gives a comprehensive guide on exterminator prices so you can see how much it is likely to cost.

Best Products to Get Rid of Moisture Ants

Inside the House:

When dealing with moisture inside the house, the best tactic is often to use ant bait. These products are non-toxic to humans and household pets, but work to slowly poison the ant colony from the inside out. Moisture ants are very attracted to sweets and liquids, so sugar-based ant bait works great on these creatures.

A successful ant baiting program requires patience. These pesticides are designed to be slow acting. But if you give them a chance, they are a very effective way to get rid of moisture ants.

Recommended Bait Types:

Recommended Bait:

Maxforce Quantum Bait

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Ant Bait Stations:

Ant bait can be extremely effective against moisture ants, especially when you use a liquid bait that is highly attractive to them. However, the downside of ant bait is that it can be messy. The answer to this problem is to use ant bait stations. These prefilled containers keep the bait safe from young children and pets, and they also help to keep the bait from drying out. They are very easy to use and highly effective against moisture ants.

For more information on ant bait stations click here to see our full Ant Traps and Bait Stations Review.

Recommended Ant Bait Station:

Terro Liquid Ant Bait Stations

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Best Products for Outside the House:

Outdoors, you can use pesticide sprays with a long-lasting residual effect to control moisture rents. The residual effect ensures that the pesticide remains active even after it has dried. The pesticide will continue to kill ants for months after application.

You can use a residual pesticide as a perimeter spray to create a barrier around your house and keep ants from getting in. Any moisture ant nests you find can also be sprayed directly with these pesticides. Make sure to fully saturate the soil or wood that the ants are nesting in with a pump sprayer so that the chemical fully penetrates the nest.

Recommended Moisture Pesticide Spray:

Demand CS

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If you can’t locate the moisture ant nest, or if it’s on somebody else’s property, you can also use bait outdoors to control moisture ants. When baiting outdoors, be aware that the bait can dry out quickly in hot weather or be washed away by rain, so it’s important to replace bait stations frequently.

Recommended Outdoor Ant Bait:

Terro Outdoor Liquid Ant Bait

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Preventing Infestations

• Remove tree stumps, logs, rotten fence posts, and other sources of water damaged wood from your property.
• Inspect inside your home for areas of high moisture, especially areas that have had water leaks in the past.
• Cut back tree branches and shrubs that come into contact with the house to prevent ants from using them to gain access to the building.
• Perform a perimeter spray of the house with a residual insecticide to kill any ants that come close to the building.
• Store food in antproof containers such as Tupperware or glass. Put pet food away overnight. Clean up any spills as soon as they happen, especially spills of sweet liquids which are highly attractive to moisture ants.

Resources

• https://extension.colostate.edu/docs/pubs/insect/05518.pdf
• https://www.orkin.com/ants/moisture-ants
• https://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Lasius