When you think of dangerous insects, you probably don’t think of ants. Let’s face it: ants are tiny, they don’t weave webs or have gigantic stingers, and they don’t look all that threatening or disgusting. While you’re right in assuming that most ants can’t cause any trouble, ants aren’t just harmless insects. If you see ants crawling around your Frisco property, you may just be dealing with a nuisance pest, but no ant species is welcome in the house and you don’t want to risk letting the issue get out of control. Let’s discuss the different ant species common in Texas, and what Frisco residents should do to prevent them.
Common Ant Species In Frisco
There are thousands of ant species around the world, and dozens of them exist in Frisco alone. While these species vary in size, color, and danger, all ants share the same reliable traits.
All ants have segmented bodies divided into three parts: the head, the thorax (middle), and the abdomen. Six legs branch off of the ant’s thorax, a short stinger rests on the end of the abdomen, and the face has two short antennae, two short pincers, and two small eyes.
When it comes to your home, there are two types of ants: nuisance pests and dangerous pests. Nuisance ants include the following:
- Odorous house ants: 2-3 mm in length, dark brown or black bodies. Like the name suggests, these ants leave an awful smell like rotting coconuts, especially when the workers are killed.
- Little black ants: 1-2 mm in length, dark, black bodies. You can find these pests crawling around kitchens, bathrooms, and hiding in the tiniest cracks you can find.
- Argentine ants: 4-6 mm in length, brown or dark brown bodies. This invasive species loves moist areas, like the kitchen or bathroom, and they often push out other insects.
- Fire ants: 2-6 mm in length, bright reddish-brown bodies. Fire ants are aggressive and will attack in swarms, stinging any organism that gets too close and leaving painful welts. Occasionally, people can be allergic to these bites, leaving rashes or causing other health issues.
- Carpenter ants: around 12 mm in length, shiny black bodies. Carpenter ants create their nests in moist or decaying wood, so if their colony pushes into your home, it can cause severe structural damage and weaken your home’s foundation.
Step-By-Step Ant Prevention For Frisco Homeowners
A good prevention strategy includes both indoor and outdoor changes. The following steps can be taken to ensure that ants won’t harm your household, your health, or the health of your family:
- Declutter your house. Ants often spend the day under cluttered spaces, and will happily rest under your clothes and junk piles.
- Deep clean under appliances. Ants often rest in the undisturbed parts of the house, like the underbelly of your fridge or laundry machine.
- Store your food and trash. Ants feed off of your trash, pet food, and pantry. They are likely to come inside if they sense food in an open pantry or trash can.
- Reduce indoor humidity. Moisture issues inside will weaken the wood in your home and invite ants inside, so keep indoor leaks and puddles to a minimum.
- Seal cracks. This includes door frames and window caulking, as well as any potential entry points for ants.
- Clear yard debris. Leaves, stones, and wood piles make for ant feeding and nesting grounds, and those pests will certainly move indoors once they find your yard.
- Relocate firewood. Firewood is a huge ant attractor, so moving it keeps ants, especially the destructive carpenter ant, away from your home’s foundation.
- Remove standing water. Puddles attract all types of pests, including ants. It’s good to drain water away from your house and to keep your gutters clean.
- Perform comprehensive yard maintenance. Falling leaves create nesting opportunities for ants, so make sure your grass is cut and your leaf piles are disposed of.
If you think you’ve got an infestation, then the ant colony is already too large to deal with on your own. Instead, call the experts at Adam’s Exterminating Company, and we’ll get rid of your ant problems for good.