Please ID ant type - Ask Extension
Hello,
My apartment’s developed an ant problem. I am not sure if they’re living inside or out, but some online instructions suggested I use this ...
Knowledgebase
Please ID ant type #832661
Asked May 30, 2023, 9:53 AM EDT
Hello,
My apartment’s developed an ant problem. I am not sure if they’re living inside or out, but some online instructions suggested I use this service to identify the ant type.
Thank you for your help!
District of Columbia County District of Columbia
Expert Response
We do try to identify indoor nuisance insects when possible but unfortunately ant ID can be challenging since well over a hundred species occur in Maryland. (While relatively few of those would be likely to forage or nest indoors, there are still too many to easily determine an ID from photos.) Unfortunately, we do not accept samples for ID and we currently do not have an entomologist on staff at HGIC to consult about likely candidate species based on photos.
Ants nesting indoors sometimes take advantage of wood that is already compromised and made easier to excavate by a water leak, though that's not a necessity for every ant species; some just choose wall or floor voids for their nests instead. Access comes by means of a gap or crack they can wander through for the adult (queen) that founded the colony. Door weather-stripping and window screens can be checked for wear-and-tear that could be fixed and gaps/cracks in walls or around exterior wall vent ports can be sealed as ways to exclude both colony foragers from ants nesting outside and any future access by other queen ants looking for a place to start a colony. We realize that in an apartment this might not be something you can take care of by yourself if you're renting or on an upper floor. As for dealing with ants that might be already inside and nesting there, using bait stations and (if necessary) a pest control professional to try to locate a nest are the next steps for that situation. Baits can work well, though not overnight, and sometimes trial-and-error is needed to determine which bait type (protein, fat, or sugar-based) the ants are most drawn to, as their needs can vary over the lifespan of the colony. You can also try to see where they are entering the living space from as that might point to either a nest site or the access point outdoor ants are using to get in. It's also possible they are living in another unit and just wandering into yours to forage, but in that case, if bait stations are successful they can still eliminate the colony by gradually poisoning enough of the workers or their queen as the foragers share the tainted bait with their nestmates.
Miri
Ants nesting indoors sometimes take advantage of wood that is already compromised and made easier to excavate by a water leak, though that's not a necessity for every ant species; some just choose wall or floor voids for their nests instead. Access comes by means of a gap or crack they can wander through for the adult (queen) that founded the colony. Door weather-stripping and window screens can be checked for wear-and-tear that could be fixed and gaps/cracks in walls or around exterior wall vent ports can be sealed as ways to exclude both colony foragers from ants nesting outside and any future access by other queen ants looking for a place to start a colony. We realize that in an apartment this might not be something you can take care of by yourself if you're renting or on an upper floor. As for dealing with ants that might be already inside and nesting there, using bait stations and (if necessary) a pest control professional to try to locate a nest are the next steps for that situation. Baits can work well, though not overnight, and sometimes trial-and-error is needed to determine which bait type (protein, fat, or sugar-based) the ants are most drawn to, as their needs can vary over the lifespan of the colony. You can also try to see where they are entering the living space from as that might point to either a nest site or the access point outdoor ants are using to get in. It's also possible they are living in another unit and just wandering into yours to forage, but in that case, if bait stations are successful they can still eliminate the colony by gradually poisoning enough of the workers or their queen as the foragers share the tainted bait with their nestmates.
Miri
