There they are again... A trail of tiny ants, moving along the baseboard, up the wall, along the counter top, into the sugar bowl...You've tried everything...

Where do they come from? The invading ants may be outside around the foundation of the house, under the sidewalk or in an old tree stump in the yard.

Bugman of Weimar uses slow working baits and micro-encapsulated products.

FAQ's:

• Ants are social insects. They live in colonies and have a caste system consisting of:

1. Queen - lays the eggs
2. Workers - tend the young, build and repair the nest, forage for food and defend the colony from invaders
3. Immatures
4. Males - these are "produced" for mating with reproductive females

• Ants are related to wasps and bees. They have a pinched waist and elbowed antennae. They also may have a modified stinger. The stinger is attached to a poison gland and can allow the ant to inject venom.
• Ants are primarily beneficial insects - they help to recycle decaying organic matter, and feed on pest insects.

TIPS:

Studies suggest the most effective and responsible way to fight ants is to use both chemical and non-chemical techniques.

• Correct any moisture conditions, such as leaky roofs or blocked gutters
• Correct poorly ventilated attics and crawl spaces
• Keep all your food containers tightly sealed, keep your kitchen area clean
• Examine firewood for ant inhabitants
• Never store your garbage can under the sink or in any other moisture-heavy location
• Trim tree limbs so they don't touch or over-hang your house
• Replace rotted or water-damaged wood
• Inspect possible entry points such as windows, door frames, pipes, etc. and caulk or screen areas to seal entry

Fire Ants

Size:  There are many sizes of workers in the colony, ranging from 1/8-inch to almost 3/8-inch in length. They have two nodes and have 10-segmented antennae with the last two segments forming a club.

Color:  Reddish brown to blackish color.

• Fire ants are very aggressive and very protective against any perceived threat to their colony and will compete with any other ant specie for food.
• Fire ants have multiple queen colonies, which causes mounds to be more numerous and closer together.

Odorous House Ants

Size:  About 1/8-inch long. They have 12-segmented antennae and one node that is almost hidden by part of the abdomen.

Color:  Brown or black in color.

• If crushed, the workers give off a rotten coconut odor, hence their name.
• Colonies have multiple queens and can be located underground of above ground.
• Odorous house ants usually move inside after it rains since the rain limits their food supply outside.

Pharaoh Ants or Sugar Ants

Size: Very small, about 1/8-inch in length and may easily be confused with several other types of pest ants. The antennae of the pharaoh ant has 10 total segments and ends in a three-segmented antennal club.

Color: Yellowish-red, the queen is larger and reddish-brown color.

• Prefer to be near a water source.
• Pharaoh ants forage most actively at night. They lay down a pheromone trail from their nest to a food source so that other ants from the same colony can also exploit the food source.
• Pharaoh ant colonies have multiple queens.  New colonies are formed by budding; Budding is when groups of workers take eggs, larvae and pupae to a new location.

Crazy Ants

Size: 1/8-inch long, with extremely long legs and antennae.

Color: Black.

• These ants are often seen running about in an erratic manner, giving them the name "crazy ant".
• Colonies of crazy ants can be small or large and contain multiple queens.
• Crazy ants will produce new colonies by budding or mating swarms.

Carpenter Ants

Size: Fairly large ants ranging from 1/4-inch up to 5/8-inch long.

Color: Varies from black, brown and black, red and black, to light brown depending on the species. The two most common pest species are black in color.

• This ant specie nests primarily under rocks, in tree holes or in insect-damaged wood.
• A carpenter ant colony may have several satellite nests consisting of workers, mature larvae, pupae and winged alates. New colonies are formed by nuptial flights.