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With spring right around the corner, it is likely you will start seeing ants crawling around inside your College Grove home. While ants do not hibernate, if it becomes cold enough, they do go into a state called diapause, which means that they slow down and stop. But they don't need to wait for spring to become active again; they will become active as soon as temperatures rise. So it is possible for ants to become inactive and active again several times during the cold season.
When ants become active, three types you are likely to see inside, or around, your home are acrobat ants, fire ants, and carpenter ants.
Acrobat Ants
These little ants are aptly named. While they don't actually do cartwheels or fly on a trapeze, they do like to lift their abdomen over their head--which looks pretty interesting. Acrobat ants are light brown to black in color and workers only measure between 2.5 and 4 mm in length. They are sometimes confused with little black ants (if they are black) because each of these ants has 2 nodes between their thoraxes and abdomens and is similar in size. These are sometimes called Valentine ants because of the shape of their abdomens. These ants are mostly just a nuisance.
Fire Ants
A fire ant measures in at 3 to 5 mm and has 2 nodes between its thorax and abdomen. It is red to dark red in color. Of all the ant pests you may have on your College Grove property or, worse, inside your home, these are the most painful. A sting from one (or many) of these little pests can leave itchy, painful welts with associated pustules.
Carpenter Ants
These large black ants measure as large as 13 mm in length. They are mostly black and have a single, pointed node between their thoraxes and abdomens. While they are called "carpenters" they do not fix anything. Instead, they carve tunnels and galleries inside the wood of homes and only come in second to termites as far as wood-destroying pests in the U.S.
Ant Prevention Tips
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Inspect the outside of your home for gaps, cracks, and holes and seal them up using a caulking gun or other sealant.
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Make sure all of your outside trash is secured inside tightly sealed containers, so that smells do not lure ants in close.
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Eliminate food and water sources for pests both inside and outside your home. Ants don't need much to survive on.
How Year Round Pest Control Can Help
If you are experiencing ants in your College Grove Home or you have had problems with them in springs past, reach out to us here at All-American Pest Control and ask about our year-round pest control options. With year-round control, you won't have to worry about ants (or other household pests) and can rest easy. Call us today.