Ant Infestations:
Everything You Need to Know to
Protect Your Home
If you’ve spotted a trail of ants marching through your kitchen or noticed them popping up around your home, you’re not alone. Ant infestations are one of the most common and frustrating pest problems that homeowners face. What starts as a few ants searching for food can quickly turn into a full-blown invasion, making it feel like no matter how much you clean, the ants just keep coming back!
You probably have questions: Why are they here? How do you get rid of them? And will they ever leave on their own? Understanding what attracts ants to your home and how they operate is the key to stopping an infestation before it gets out of hand.
In this blog, we’ll answer all the questions you might have about ants, from identifying the type of ants you’re dealing with to understanding their life cycle, behavior, and, most importantly, how to eliminate them. Keep reading to learn how to win the battle against ants once and for all.
What are the most common types of ants that invade homes in South Carolina?
South Carolina is home to several ant species that frequently invade homes. Some of the most common ones include:
Argentine Ants
- Color: Light to dark brown.
- Size: Small, about 1/8 inch long.
- Behavior: Highly invasive, often entering homes in large numbers, especially during warm weather.
- Attracted to: Sugary foods and moisture sources.
- Nesting habits: Typically nest outdoors but will come inside for food or water, often found in damp areas.
- Treatment methods:
- Eliminate food and water sources by keeping kitchens and bathrooms clean.
- Use bait stations with slow-acting poison to allow ants to carry it back to the colony.
- Seal entry points such as cracks in walls, windows, and door frames.
Carpenter Ants
- Color: Black, red, or a combination of both.
- Size: Larger than most ants, typically 1/4 to 1/2 inch long.
- Behavior: Do not eat wood but burrow into it to create nests, which can cause significant structural damage.
- Attracted to: Moist, decayed wood, often found in damp or water-damaged areas.
- Nesting habits: Build nests inside walls, floors, and wooden structures.
- Treatment methods:
- Locate and replace damaged wood where they are nesting.
- Use ant baits specifically formulated for carpenter ants.
- Apply perimeter insecticides to stop them from entering the home.
- Consider professional pest control if the infestation is extensive.
Odorous House Ants
- Color: Brown to black.
- Size: Small, about 1/8 inch long.
- Behavior: Known for the foul, rotten coconut smell they release when crushed.
- Attracted to: Sweet foods like sugar, syrup, and fruits.
- Nesting habits: Can nest indoors in wall voids, beneath floors, or inside cabinets.
- Treatment methods:
- Clean up spills and food crumbs promptly.
- Place slow-acting bait near trails to allow ants to bring poison back to their colony.
- Seal entry points such as cracks and crevices.
Fire Ants
- Color: Reddish-brown.
- Size: Workers range from 1/8 to 1/4 inch long.
- Behavior: Highly aggressive, known for painful stings that can cause allergic reactions in some people.
- Attracted to: Greasy or protein-based foods.
- Nesting habits: Primarily nest outdoors but can occasionally invade homes, often near foundations.
- Treatment methods:
- Use specialized fire ant baits that target the colony and queen.
- Apply mound treatments to eliminate outdoor nests.
- Keep outdoor areas clear of food scraps and garbage.
Pharaoh Ants
- Color: Light yellow to brown.
- Size: Tiny, about 1/16 inch long.
- Behavior: Difficult to eliminate due to their ability to form multiple colonies within a home.
- Attracted to: Sugary foods, proteins, and fats.
- Nesting habits: Prefer warm, hidden areas indoors like wall voids, behind baseboards, or inside electrical outlets.
- Treatment methods:
- Use bait stations with slow-acting poison to eliminate the entire colony.
- Avoid using sprays, as they can cause the colony to split and spread.
- Clean and store food in airtight containers to remove attractants.
What is the life cycle of an ant?
Ants are distinct from many pests that we see in our homes in that we almost never are looking at the reproductive members of a colony. The ant on your counter is without a doubt a female drone who cannot lay eggs. Understanding the ant life cycle is important if you want to effectively treat your home ant infestation.
The ant life cycle is divided into four stages – each of which is quite distinct from one another:
- Egg: The life of an ant begins as a tiny, white egg. Fertilized eggs develop into female ants (workers or queens), while unfertilized eggs become male ants.
- Larva: After a few days, the egg hatches into a larva, a legless, worm-like stage. The larvae are fed and cared for by the worker ants, often consuming a diet of regurgitated food from adult ants. During this stage, larvae grow quickly and go through several molts.
- Pupa: After reaching a certain size, the larvae become pupae. During this stage, they appear curled up and may look white or light-colored. For some species, the pupae are covered in a cocoon, while others remain exposed. The pupal stage is a critical period of transformation, as the ant’s body reshapes into its adult form.
- Adult: Once the pupal stage is complete, the ant emerges as an adult. Adult ants take on one of three roles within the colony: queen, worker, or male. Queens are responsible for reproduction, workers gather food and care for the nest, and males are mainly responsible for mating with the queen.
How are ant colonies organized?
Ant colonies are highly structured societies, with each member playing a specific role to ensure the survival and success of the colony. Although the organization can vary by species, most colonies are divided into three primary castes: queens, workers, and males.
- Queens: The queen is the colony’s reproductive center, and is responsible for laying eggs to expand the colony. In some species, like Argentine ants, colonies may have multiple queens, which allows them to grow quickly and become especially hard to control in a home. Carpenter ants, on the other hand, usually have a single queen per colony, making their nests slightly easier to track down and eliminate.
- Workers: Worker ants are sterile females who perform nearly all non-reproductive tasks within the colony. They forage for food, care for the queen and larvae, maintain the nest, and defend the colony. Many ant species are polymorphic, meaning that worker ants exist in a variety of different forms. Red imported fire ant workers, for example, come in both major and minor morphs. Major morphs are the larger of the two and are sometimes referred to as ‘soldier ants.’ Younger colonies typically are monomorphic – meaning the worker ants are not differentiated into minors and majors. As the colony grows its polymorphic tendencies increase.
- Males: Male ants, also called drones, are primarily present during the breeding season. Their sole role is to mate with the queen, after which they typically die. Males have wings and can sometimes be mistaken for flying termites.
- Brood: In addition to the primary castes, colonies also contain developing ants in various stages—eggs, larvae, and pupae. Workers tend to the brood with great care, keeping them in specific parts of the nest and relocating them to maintain optimal temperature and humidity for growth.
Why are ants invading my house, and what are they looking for?
Ants invade homes primarily in search of food and water. If your home offers easy access to sugary, greasy, or starchy foods, as well as moisture, ants will be drawn in. Even the smallest crumbs or spills can attract a colony.
Once scout ants find a food source, they leave behind a chemical trail to guide others to it, which is why you may see a steady line of ants entering your home. They may also enter during certain seasons, particularly in dry weather when they’re seeking water or during cooler months when they’re looking for shelter.
Are ants harmful to my home or health?
For the most part, ants are more of a nuisance than a danger to your home or health. However, certain species can pose risks. Carpenter ants, for example, can damage wood structures, and fire ants can deliver painful stings that may trigger dangerous allergic reactions.
Additionally, ants can contaminate food as they travel, potentially spreading bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Keeping your home clean and addressing any ant issues quickly can minimize these risks.
Do ants cause structural damage to homes?
While most ants do not damage homes, carpenter ants are an exception. These ants don’t eat wood like termites but instead burrow into it to create their nests. Over time, this can cause significant structural damage, particularly if they target areas that are already weakened by moisture.
Signs of carpenter ant damage include small piles of wood shavings known as frass and hearing rustling or crackling sounds inside walls.
How do I distinguish between ants and termites?
Ants and termites can look similar at a glance, especially during the warmer months when both insects may develop wings and swarm. However, there are several key physical and behavioral differences that can help you tell them apart.
- Body Shape: One of the easiest ways to differentiate ants from termites is by looking at their body shape. Ants have a narrow, pinched waist that separates the thorax from the abdomen, giving them an “hourglass” shape. Termites, in contrast, have a more uniform, straight-waisted body without a defined pinch.
- Antennae: Ants have bent or “elbowed” antennae, which curve at a sharp angle. Termites, on the other hand, have straight antennae that resemble tiny strings of beads.
- Wings: Both ants and termites can have wings when they swarm, but their wing structure differs. Ants have two sets of wings of unequal length—the front pair is longer than the back pair. Termites, by contrast, have two pairs of wings of equal length, which are typically much longer than their bodies.
- Color: Termites are often pale in color, ranging from light cream to brown, while ants are typically darker, appearing in shades of black, brown, or red, depending on the species.
- Behavior and Habitat: Ants are primarily seen above ground, foraging along visible trails in search of food. Termites, however, are typically hidden in wood structures or underground, where they consume cellulose-based materials. If you notice damaged wood, such as hollowed-out sections or mud tubes running along walls, it’s likely a sign of termites rather than ants. Taken altogether this might seem like a lot – but distinguishing ants from termites is fairly easy. Here’s a super short guide that will make identification easy:
- Ants: hourglass waist, elbowed antennae, dark coloration, and above-ground foraging.
- Termites: uniform body shape, straight antennae, pale color, prefer dark damp environments.
What should I do if I find ants in my kitchen or pantry?
If you spot ants in your kitchen or pantry, it’s important to act quickly to prevent the problem from getting worse. Here’s what you can do:
- Clean up any food crumbs and spills
- Wipe down surfaces with a mixture of vinegar and water to remove ant scent trails.
- Seal up food in airtight containers, especially sugary or starchy items.
- Check for and seal any entry points, such as cracks or gaps.
- Consider placing bait traps to target the colony.
- By eliminating easy food sources and blocking entry points early, you can prevent an ant infestation from getting out of hand.
Can ants infest my walls or other hidden areas of my home?
Yes, ants can infest hidden areas like walls, attics, or crawl spaces. Certain species, like carpenter ants, are known for building nests inside wall voids, especially in wood that’s softened by moisture.
Even common house ants may establish colonies in hard-to-reach areas if they find consistent food sources nearby. You may notice signs like small piles of debris, rustling noises behind walls, or ants coming out of cracks and crevices. In these cases, professional pest control is often necessary to locate and eliminate the nest.
Why do ants seem to walk in lines?
Some pests, like cockroaches, scurry hither and yon. In fact, their purposeless erratic behavior is one of the things that we find so repulsive about them! Ants travel differently, seeming to prefer orderly, straight lines. Why?
Ants walk in straight lines due to the chemical trail they create with pheromones, which are scent markers that guide other ants to food sources or back to the nest.
When a scout ant finds a food source, it returns to the nest, releasing pheromones along its path. This chemical trail serves as a map for other ants to follow, leading them to the food with efficiency and precision. As more ants follow the trail, they reinforce it by laying down additional pheromones, which strengthens the path and encourages more ants to follow it.
How can I get rid of ant scent trails?
Eliminating ant scent trails is an important step in preventing more ants from following the same path into your home. Because ants rely on pheromone trails to guide each other to food sources, removing these trails disrupts their navigation and may slow the rate of their invasion.
Here’s how you can effectively get rid of ant scent trails:
- Use a Vinegar Solution: Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle, then spray the mixture along areas where ants have been seen. Vinegar disrupts pheromones, breaking the chemical trail ants follow. Wipe the area with a cloth after spraying to fully remove any residual scents.
- Soap and Water: Another effective method is to use soapy water, as soap breaks down the pheromones left by ants. Simply mix a few drops of dish soap with water and spray along ant trails, entry points, and any other areas where ants have been active.
- Essential Oils: Certain essential oils, like peppermint or tea tree oil, can also mask pheromone trails. Mix 10-15 drops of essential oil with water in a spray bottle, apply it along ant trails, and wipe down the area. Essential oils not only break up scent trails but also act as a natural repellent for many ant species.
- Clean Regularly: Regular cleaning, especially in kitchens and food storage areas, can help prevent ants from creating new trails. Be sure to wipe down countertops, floors, and surfaces where food particles may attract ants.
Is it possible to get rid of ants permanently?
While it may not be possible to eliminate ants permanently, you can significantly reduce the chances of recurring infestations by keeping your home clean, sealing off entry points, and maintaining regular pest control treatments. Ants are incredibly resilient, and colonies can sometimes reestablish themselves if conditions are right.
Professional pest control services can help create a long-term plan for keeping ants at bay, offering treatments that address both immediate infestations and future prevention.
