Ant FAQ – How To ID and Prevent Them

There are several types of ants out there and being able to identify them can come in handy. This is especially true when recognizing ants that have invaded your home. When ants take shelter in your home uninvited, it can take a toll on your mental and physical health. Fortunately, the pest control experts of Twin Forks Pest Control® are here to help you learn how to distinguish between carpenter ants, moisture ants, and sugar ants as well as how to prevent them from moving in!

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants are often referred to as “big and black ants”, and they can be anywhere from ¼ to ½ of an inch long. Entomology.ca.uky.edu states that carpenter ants can do great damage to wood in the process of hollowing it out so they can nest. If you are seeing carpenter ants in your home, you can almost guarantee that there is a nest nearby. A big indicator that you have an infestation of carpenter ants is seeing shredded fragments of wood mixed with dead ants.

Though carpenter ants can nest in moist and dry wood, they are more attracted to moist and hollow wood and would prefer to nest there. With that being said, to effectively remove an infestation of carpenter ants from your home, the nest(s) must be located and destroyed. However, this is harder than it sounds and should be done by professionals! Carpenter ants can bite you in self-defense when their nest is disturbed, so we urge you to not do it yourself.

To reduce the chances of having carpenter ants invade your home, we recommend fixing any leaks, sealing any cracks in your home, and not storing wood near your home.

Moisture Ants

Moisture ants can be black, brown, yellow, or red in color and 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch long. They do not damage property like carpenter ants, but they can nest inside of wood. Specifically, as their name implies, moisture ants are attracted to moist areas, such as damp soil and wet, rotting wood, explains ThePestAdvice.com. When inside of the home, they go to the bathroom to drink its condensation and the kitchen to eat any sugary foods.

A big indicator of an infestation of moisture ants in your home is seeing the moisture ants themselves. You will see them drinking any spills or even crawling inside of any holes or cracks in your walls. Luckily, they are not dangerous because they do not sting or bite, but they can be very irritating. The only way to truly get rid of a moisture ant infestation is to remove the nest(s), and this is a job that should be done by trained professionals.

A few ways to prevent a moisture ant infestation in your home include removing any water-damaged wood, taking care of any leaks in your home, and quickly cleaning up any spills of sugary liquids.

Sugar Ants

Sugar ants are commonly known as small black ants but Ants.com states that the female sugar ants are black with an orange middle. As their name reveals, sugar ants prefer sweet and sugary foods, but they can also eat fats. Though sugar ants are not dangerous to your health, they can be a big nuisance. HouseMethod.com warns us that sugar ants “have about four to five times more odor receptors than other insects”, and once they find food or water in your home, they leave a pheromone trail behind for other sugar ants to follow!

When sugar ants find food, they tend to bring it back to their nest for the rest of the colony. Sugar ants prefer to nest in places that are left alone, such as inside walls. Therefore, to successfully get rid of sugar ants in your home, the nest must be located and removed. We advise leaving this task to pest control professionals, such as Twin Forks Pest Control®.

You can prevent a sugar ant infestation by keeping your kitchen tidy. Make it a habit to wash your dishes frequently, clean up any spills of sugary drinks or foods right away, and seal any cracks or holes in your home.

Twin Forks Pest Control® Removes Ants And Other Indoor Pests

The professionals at Twin Forks Pest Control® have special expertise to effectively remove ants and other indoor pests from your home. We serve the Eastern Long Island, New York area, including Montauk and Greenport. Get back control of your home by getting in contact with us today! Southampton residents can call (631) 287-9020, East Hampton residents can call (631) 324-9020, and Southold residents can call (631) 298-0500.