The Ants That Call North Texas Home

Everybody knows that everything's bigger in Texas, and this can be true for ant infestations as well. While the Texas ants aren't actually bigger, they certainly have no trouble multiplying into large colonies to invade homes and businesses. Some of the most common ants in Texas include the acrobat ants, carpenter ants, fire ants, odorous house ants, and rover ants. All of these ants pose a threat to your home, and our experts at Adams Exterminating will help you quickly identify and eradicate your ant problem before it gets out of hand. Furthermore, we'll work with you to develop ant prevention strategies for in and around your home. 

Acrobat Ants

These tiny ants get their name because of their ability to lift their abdomen over their heads. They are light brown to black in color and the workers only grow to be around 2.5 and 4 mm long.

Threats: Although acrobat ants usually live outdoors in nests that they build in dead or decaying wood, sometimes they invade homes and establish colonies inside tunnels and galleries previously carved out by carpenter ants or termites. Therefore, if you see tiny black ants in your Texas home, this could be an indicator that you have another ant species infestation as well. Acrobat ants are also moisture pests. This means, if they are inside your home, there may be water leaks and/or damage to your foundation and walls. Once inside, these ants will make their way into pantries and other areas where food is stored, and sometimes they will emit an unpleasant odor when they are disturbed. If acrobat ants have established themselves in your home, look out for large numbers of workers or swarms of winged reproductives looking to start new colonies.  

Carpenter Ants

Unlike the small acrobat ant, these are among the largest ants that could infest your Texas home. These shiny black ants range length depending on their role within their colony; workers can reach lengths of 13 mm, winged swarmers can be as long as 18 mm, and queens grow to 20 mm long. 

Threats: While not quite as destructive as termites, these ants cost United States property owners hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Specifically, they are among the leading ants in Texas to create problems in or around your home or business. They chew into the wood of a structure in order to dig out tunnels and galleries to establish nests. In those nests, they multiply and grow their numbers. If carpenter ants continue to tunnel and multiply, extensive damage to a structure will develop over time. Ant prevention treatments that eliminate food, water, and shelter sources combined with professional extermination will help keep these pests at bay.