What's The Most Effective Ant Pest Management In Marietta?

Some things in life you can eliminate while you must manage others. For example, you can remove certain foods from your diet and experience better health, but you also may have medical conditions due to genetics or past choices that you must learn to manage. Another example of something we have to learn how to control is ants. 

Ants are part of our ecosystem, and they surround our homes. Eliminating all the ants around your house is not possible, nor is it good for the environment or your home. After all, ants are a natural termite predator; their presence can deter or minimize a termite infestation. However, no one wants ants inside their homes, so we must learn to manage the ant population and discourage and prevent them from entering our houses. 

You are probably reading this article because ants are inside your house. If so, you need ant control in Marietta from ProCare Pest Services. Our family-owned and operated company has removed ants from local homes for the last ten years. What began as a small operation has expanded to two locations and thousands of satisfied customers. Our technicians live and work in Atlanta and are active community members. Because we are local, we understand the pest control challenges in our area. 

We wrote this article because we know you want to get ants out of your house. Please keep reading to learn how to identify the ant species in your home, why identification is necessary, what the possible attractants are, how to prevent a future ant infestation, and why you need ProCare Pest Services.

How Can I Tell What Type Of Ant Has Invaded My Home?

You may think all ants are the same, but they aren't. There are thousands of ant species worldwide, but these are the types of ants that invade homes and properties in our area:

• Argentine ants 
• Crazy ants 
• Thief ants 
• Pavement ants 
• Odorous ants 
• Pharaoh ants 
• Fire ants 

Each species is unique, and proper identification is necessary, so let's examine each one. 

Argentine ants came to America from Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and other countries in the late 1800s. These dark brown to black ants range in size from 1/16 to 1/4-inch. Argentine ants are highly efficient when they forage. Unlike most ant species that deposit chemical trails as they return from a food source, Argentine ants create pheromone trails to and from nutritional sources, resulting in efficient trails. Because they follow these pathways, you will see these ants traveling in long lines through the house, up trees, and along incoming pipes and wires. 

Crazy ants are so-named due to their erratic travel patterns. Like Argentine ants, crazy ants have roughly the same body size and colors but with the addition of a gray sheen, longer legs, and antennae. Crazy ants invade homes in the fall and winter months for food and water sources.

Also called "grease ants" or "sugar ants," thief ants have a 1/16-inch pale yellow to brown body. These tiny ants are so-called because they steal food, larvae, and pupae from nearby ant nests and because sugar and fats attract them. Unlike crazy ants that enter in the fall and winter, thief ants invade in the hot summer months. When they enter Marietta homes, they create homes behind wood and masonry in small cracks and crevices. 

As their name suggests, pavement ants are in sidewalk and driveway cracks and masonry. These 1/8-inch ants have dark brown to black bodies. Pavement ants use the claws (tarsi) on each of their six legs to scale masonry walls to gain entrance into Marietta's homes. Once inside, they live under insulation, floors, and inside walls. Like Argentine ants, pavement ants travel lines and will go as far as 30 feet away from their nests to forage. 

Odorous house ants are so-named because they produce a rotten coconut odor when crushed or threatened. These nuisance black or brown ants have a 1/16 to 1/8-inch body. Odorous house ants move their colonies every three to six months and live near leaking fixtures, water heaters, and inside termite-damaged wood.

The insects on our list have black or brown bodies; however, pharaoh ants and thief ants are an exception. The front two sections of their 1/16-inch bodies are pale yellow or reddish, but their backend (abdomen) is darker. Pharaoh ants typically infest commercial properties (i.e., hotels, grocery stores, and medical facilities) but occasionally enter homes where they use the wires in the walls to travel between rooms. 

Although they occasionally enter homes through HVAC systems, fire ants primarily reside in the yards where they construct large irregular nests. These notorious ants have 1/8 to 3/8-inch dark reddish brown bodies with a stinger. An encounter with fire ants is not pleasant. 

ProCare Pest Services provides pest control ant treatments for all types of ants in the Marietta area.

What Are Ants Attracted To?