Help! Ant ID for Storysold: Pest Control - Ask Extension
Hi OSU,
Just so you know I'm not a stranger, I graduated from OSU in 2003. Now I'm the owner/operator of Storysold: Pest Control.
I'm pretty g...
Knowledgebase
Help! Ant ID for Storysold: Pest Control #751405
Asked May 21, 2021, 9:35 PM EDT
Hi OSU,
Just so you know I'm not a stranger, I graduated from OSU in 2003. Now I'm the owner/operator of Storysold: Pest Control.
I'm pretty good with my ant IDs, but I ran into a new one in 2 locations lately. Both in old double wide mobile homes with wood rot.
DESCRIPTION: bigger black head than house ant, red thorax, and black abdomen with what looks like white markings. Almost like a spider.
BEHAVIOR:
a) Clearly nest in rotting wood like carpenter ants
b) They like the sugar bait
c) They're faster moving/more aggressive than house ants
d) They push debris out of cracks in walls like carpenter ants (including dead ant parts), and they seem to build weird tube structures on inside of crawl space walls.
d) they bite
e) they're clearly an infesting pest unlike house ants
My guess is moisture ant, but the white markings are throwing me off.
I know you must be overrun with requests like this, so I appreciate any help you can give me.
Thanks :) Jake
www.storysoldpestcontrol.com
Multnomah County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Jake,
Any chance you could provide photos or could submit specimens? It would take a couple weeks to get an ID back to you if you send specimens, but I could examine photos pretty quickly. You can cool some specimens down in a fridge or freezer to get them to slow down or stop for photos. A few pics from a variety of perspectives would help. Also get the photos from as close as you can while still keeping the ants in focus.
Any chance you could provide photos or could submit specimens? It would take a couple weeks to get an ID back to you if you send specimens, but I could examine photos pretty quickly. You can cool some specimens down in a fridge or freezer to get them to slow down or stop for photos. A few pics from a variety of perspectives would help. Also get the photos from as close as you can while still keeping the ants in focus.
Hi Bill,
Thanks for the reply. This is my first time using your expertise, and I will be able to get photos/specimens in the future.
Unfortunately my chances of going back to those 2 jobs anytime soon are slim. I’m pretty sure I found all their nests and was able to do direct applications…
Yeah I know I’m the bad guy :(
Any chance you could make a guess based on the written description I sent you? My guess is moisture ant, but I thought they were all generally one color (light brown)? And my guys definitely had some kind of markings (bands?) on the abdomens.
:) Jake
On May 24, 2021, at 9:49 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Well, I'm really not sure based on your description, Jake. Moisture ant is the common name for ants in the genus Lasius. They are also called citronella ants and cornfield ants. Here is a link to a photo of one as an example.
https://bugguide.net/node/view/305938
The workers are typically pretty small (3-4mm). Is this similar to what you were seeing?
If not, this will have to remain a mystery for now. If you take some photos next time, we'll see what we can do.
Cheers,
Hi Bill,
I’m also a fiction writer, and I’m intrigued by the process of identification.
Do scientists ever identify things based on their behavior? I’ve always thought it was weird that scientists study (for example) rats in labs outside of their natural habitat. Is that because scientists assume an animal or insect behavior won’t change environment to environment?
In any case, I’ll send a photo or specimen next time.
Thanks for the reply!
:) Jake
www.storysoldpestcontrol.com
On May 26, 2021, at 12:19 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
Hi again, Jake,
Sometimes I do take behavior into account for identification of insects, spiders, etc. if it is a behavior that is well-documented, but most identification is based on the size, shape, or form of various body parts. Color and patterning can sometimes also be a clue, but it's not as reliable as shape/form since many species can have different color morphs or can vary in patterning.
About behavior in the lab versus natural habitats...I think that most scientists know that behavior can be quite different in a lab. Somethings, though, are hard-wired. For instance, in a lab you could test whether an insect is attracted to light, or whether it hides from light. For more complex behaviors such as mating in some insects, things can go wrong in a lab. For example, in nature, male mayflies form swarms and wait for the females to fly by so they can mate in mid-flight, but in a lab where space is limited and some cues are lacking, males and females will not mate even if they are put into a small container together.
Hope that helps!
Best wishes....
Sometimes I do take behavior into account for identification of insects, spiders, etc. if it is a behavior that is well-documented, but most identification is based on the size, shape, or form of various body parts. Color and patterning can sometimes also be a clue, but it's not as reliable as shape/form since many species can have different color morphs or can vary in patterning.
About behavior in the lab versus natural habitats...I think that most scientists know that behavior can be quite different in a lab. Somethings, though, are hard-wired. For instance, in a lab you could test whether an insect is attracted to light, or whether it hides from light. For more complex behaviors such as mating in some insects, things can go wrong in a lab. For example, in nature, male mayflies form swarms and wait for the females to fly by so they can mate in mid-flight, but in a lab where space is limited and some cues are lacking, males and females will not mate even if they are put into a small container together.
Hope that helps!
Best wishes....
