I do not know if anyone else has been experiencing swarms of winged insects in and around your homes lately, but I have.
The first question that usually arises when someone finds a winged insect in their home is; “Is this a termite or just a winged ant?” This article will provide some information on how to identify the difference between ants and termites. In addition, it includes information on how to control ants in and around your home.
Ants are social insects, and their nests or colonies can be found indoors and out. A nest contains one or more queen ants laying eggs and being cared for by worker ants. Foraging ants can invade households from colonies outdoors.
Nests often can be located by following “trails” of foraging ants. Indoors, ants nest almost anywhere. For instance, Pharaoh ants readily nest in attics, appliances, linens, heating ducts, wall voids and light switches or fixtures.
Killing foraging ants rarely solves an ant problem in the home because the colony remains unaffected.
During certain times of the year, most species produce “reproductives”, winged male and female ants that leave the nest to mate and establish new colonies. Winged ants can be distinguished from termites by three characteristics:
Termites –
1. Both pairs of wings are have the same size and shape
2. Antennae are hair-like
3. Do not have a narrow “waist” between thorax and abdomen
Winged ants –
1. Hind pair of wings are shorter than the front wings
2. Antennae are elbowed shape
3. They have a narrow “waist” between the abdomen and thorax
Most ants prefer to nest in soil or wood outdoors, but homes offer many favorable nest sites for certain ants.
Cracks and holes in brick veneer, wall voids and structural wood close to heat and moisture sources are commonly used. Reduce water sources and nesting sites by caulking cracks and crevices, fixing leaks and replacing wet or rotten wood.
Pay particular attention to ant colonies infesting potted plants or firewood brought indoors.
Insecticides registered for ant control are formulated as liquid sprays, dusts, fogs and baits. Many are generally labeled to control “ants”, although some are specifically registered for particular ant species.
The most effective ant control is to find the nest and treat it with insecticide.
An alternative is to use the workers to carry insecticidal bait back to other colony members. In the home, extensive, undirected insecticide treatments, such as ant trail treatments or total-release aerosol fogs, are usually unsatisfactory because they kill only a few workers and often do not greatly affect the colony, the source of workers.
When home control attempts fail, seek help from a licensed commercial pest control operator.
Effective bait formulations contain slow-acting pesticides that are collected by foraging worker ants and brought back to the colony, where the pesticide is fed to the other ants, queen(s) and brood.
These products should not be confused with “bait traps”, which kill only the foraging workers attracted to the bait station.
Tips for using baits to control house-infesting ants include:
• Use fresh product and follow directions carefully with the correct number of bait stations or material to treat the infestation.
• Make bait more effective by removing or covering other food sources that compete with the bait’s attractiveness.
• Before and during baiting efforts, avoid using surface applications of long-acting contact insecticides (often applied to control cockroaches or to ant trails) that would prevent foraging worker ants from being able to reach the bait station.
• Be patient for the baits to work. It may take three to four weeks or more to eliminate some colonies.
For more information on house-infesting ants and their management, contact the Pershing County Extension Office at 775-273-2923 or email me at fosters@unce.unr.edu .