Call Sho-Me Pest Control, the Best Pest Control Professionals for Ants in Mid-Missouri. Let Us Help you with your next Pest Extermination.
Ants are social insects that live in colonies that can have 1 or more queens. An average sized colony is comprised of around 4,000 ants. They can colonize in the ground, leaf clutter, or inside a structure. They have a 3-part segmented body: the head, thorax, and gaster. Reproductive ants are winged. These insects can carry 20 times their body weight and live an average of 45-60 days. Call Sho-Me Pest for professional ant control.
Mid-Missouri Ants
Carpenter Ant
Carpenter Ants are relatively large. Known mostly by their size and color, carpenter ants are commonly black, however their color can range from black to red or even solid red. Swarming black carpenter ants can easily be mistaken for swarming termites if found inside homes and structures.
1. Carpenter Ants Chew Through Wood but Do Not Eat It.
Carpenter ants are sometimes compared to termites because they both chew through wood. The difference is that termites eat the wood and carpenter ants do not. Instead, they chew it up and spit it out. Even though these large ants don’t consume wood, they pose a threat to structural beams and other wooden structures. Fortunately, carpenter ants typically stick to damp, decaying wood like old tree trunks.
2. Carpenter Ants Are Difficult to Get Rid Of.
It’s not easy to get rid of carpenter ants completely. One queen can live up to 25 years! During this time, the queen can establish many satellite colonies and produce thousands of babies. Some of the babies will grow from workers to queens of their own colonies. To prevent carpenter ants from taking over, pest control measures are crucial.
3. Carpenter Ants Will Bite in Defense.
If their nests are disturbed, carpenter ants won’t hesitate to defend themselves. Because of their large size, the bites can be quite painful. Not only do these pests bite, but also, they may spray a defensive chemical into the wound. This chemical, called formic acid, is used to enhance the pain when fighting against other insects.
Do you have carpenter ants in your home? Protect your home and call Sho-Me Pest Control. Large-scale ant infestations typically require help from an experienced exterminator.
Field Ant
Field ants get their name due to their preference of nesting out in the open. In Missouri nests can be found in lawns, gardens, fields, and parks. Field ants build large mounds in open areas reaching sizes of three to four feet wide and up to two feet tall. Rarely found indoors, field ants are common around homes and buildings. Most species of field ants cause issues around structures when they nest near masonry walls and concrete sidewalks. Favorite locations for field ant nests are around shrubs, rocks, trees, sidewalks, fences, and foundations of structures. Field ants do not sting but will bite if disturbed. If nests are disturbed or stood upon, ants may aggressively swarm out of the nest and bite the intruder. Actual Size: 4 to 8 mm Characteristics: Large; black, brown, or yellowish to bicolored red and black Legs: 6 Antennae: Yes
Odorous House Ant
The workers are about 1/16‐1/8‐inch (2.4‐3.25mm) long. The body is brown to black in color. The antennae have 12 segments. Odorous ants, as well as other ants, lay down a chemical trail of pheromones. Ant trails occur between nest sites and food sources. The nests can occur in a great variety of situations. Inside, these ants usually construct their nests in wall voids, especially around hot water pipes and heaters, in crevices, sinks, cupboards, etc. Outside they are found in exposed soil, usually shallow, often located beneath a board, brick, stone walk, etc. They form nests in cavities of trees and loose bark. Nests can be found in bird nests and animal nests. They also like to nest on top of honey bee hives for the warmth provided. They are most likely to enter buildings when their food supply or sweet supply of food is reduced by natural occurrences such as rainy weather or autumn leaf fall. They can feed on anything such as insects, honeydew, seeds, and plant secretions, but do prefer sweets.
If you have an ant problem, contact Sho-Me pest control today to eliminate these pests before they take over your home, restaurant, or small business. Sho-Me Pest Control services St. Robert, Waynesville, Lebanon, Rolla, St. James, Dixon, Richland, Newburg, Crocker, Stoutland, Laquey, Plato, Houston, Licking, Salem, Ft. Leonard Wood, Falcon, Roby and all surrounding areas.
Acrobat Ant
Acrobat ants get their common name from their ability to acrobatically raise their abdomen over their thorax and head, especially when disturbed. In comparison to other ant species, acrobat ants are nothing more than a slight nuisance. However, if their colony is disturbed, acrobat ants may sometimes bite. Acrobat ants are light brown to black in color. They are relatively small, usually measuring about 1/8” (3.2 mm) in length. Queens, however, are generally larger but can range in size up to 3/8” (10 mm) long. Acrobat ants have a segmented body and when looked down upon, the shape of their abdomen resembles a heart. he most obvious sign of an acrobat ant infestation is the presence of actual ant trails on wires, utility lines and pipes coming into walls. Acrobat ants will occasionally forage up to 100 feet away from their nest for resources, so you might spot them trailing along the foundation in search of food.
Pavement Ant
These black ants will eat almost anything. Pavement ants have been known to consume insects, seeds, honeydew, honey, bread, meats, nuts and cheese. They forage in trails for distances of up to 30 feet and are known to climb masonry walls that enter into occupied areas. Pavement ants are most likely to be found in ground-level masonry walls, but they also nest in walls, insulation and under floors. Outside, these black ants typically nest under stones, pavement cracks and next to buildings. Pests, such as pavement ants, are attracted to moisture. Color: Dark brown to blackish Legs 6 Shape Segmented; oval Size 1/8" Antennae Yes
Pharaoh Ant
Pharaoh Ants are tiny; approximately 2 millimeters long. They are yellow bodied with black and red markings on their abdomen. These insects will typically nest in hidden, well-protected areas such as walls, voids, behind baseboards, in insulation and other warm areas inside a building. They prefer sweet foods but will also eat other insects. Pharaoh Ants can spread disease and cause contamination. Pharaoh ants are commonly found in commercial food handling establishments such as hotels, grocery stores and hospitals.