Everything You Should Know About Ants In Sacramento

The most common pests we deal with in Sacramento are ants. They vary in size from 1/32 of an inch to a whopping 5/8 of an inch. They vary in behavior as well. Some ants eat sweet things. Some ants eat protein. Some are able to create nests inside homes, while others don't. This variety of ants makes ant control in Sacramento a challenge. Let's take a look at what ant species you're most likely to deal with in Sacramento, why they become a problem, and when it is necessary to get ant control in your yard and house.

If you're currently battling with an ant problem and you'd rather get immediate assistance from professional pest control in Sacramento, you can request a visit from one of our licensed pest management professionals through our contact page. Now, let's take a look at those ants.

Ants Species In Sacramento

There are so many ants in our area that it would be exhausting to cover them all. The common ant species Neighborly Pest Management professionals see are:

• Argentine ants

• Pavement ants

• Odorous house ants

• Thief ants

• Velvety tree ants

• Crazy ants  

• Pharaoh ants

• Fire ants 

• Carpenter ants

There are many ant control solutions for these ants. Effective ant control requires understanding the behaviors, food preferences, and locations where these ants can be found nesting.

Some Ants Invade Yards

There are many ants that prefer to be outside. These can be dealt with by administering ant control in your yard.

• Argentine ants: These are aggressive ants that have taken over California. Workers are around 1/8 of an inch. They have many queens and they grow their colonies quickly. Argentine ants don't mind working together and many colonies can turn into a supercolony. They prefer to be outside but can create indoor nests if outdoor habitats are disturbed. It is best to perform ant pest control in the yard to deal with these ants before they get in.

• Crazy Ants, which are also referred to as Rasberry crazy ants or tawny crazy ants, are about 1/8 of an inch. The swarming behavior of crazy ants can produce some very strange results. These ants pile on top of one another in a mass or cover a yard like a sheet. This is because these ants work together to create supercolonies. Fortunately, they are primarily outdoor ants.

• Fire ants are mostly yard pests. They create mounds in sunny areas of a yard and colonies can have more than 100,000 individuals. These colonies create nests deep in the ground and shallow surface tunnels that go out 10 feet from the mounds. Yard ant pest control is often enough for these ants.

Some Ants Invade Homes

There are many ants that readily get into structures. You may have to administer ant control in your house to deal with these species.

• Odorous house ants: Generally brown in coloration, these ants are about 1/8 of an inch. They can nest in a wide range of places, both outdoors and indoors. Colonies tend to be around 10,000 individuals with several queens. They're generally considered the most common indoor ants in Sacramento.

• Pavement ants: These black ants are about 3/16 of an inch. You'll find them mostly in your yard, living in sidewalk cracks, the base of trees, and in landscape objects. They can get indoors, particularly if heavy rains flood their odor nests. Inside your home, they'll nest in wall voids, insulation, and gaps in subflooring.

• Pharaoh ant colonies have many nests and these ants move freely between them. They can be difficult indoor ant pests. They're also considered a disease threat. Do you remember the plagues of Egypt? These ants are named Pharaoh ants because they can be a plague. Fortunately, some colonies only have a single queen. This can make them a little easier to control. Workers of this species are between 1/12 and 1/16 of an inch. 

• Thief ants: These ants are tiny. Super tiny. Workers are only 1/32 of an inch. They create small colonies with many queens. They can nest in cracks and wall voids. Thief ants are sometimes mistaken for Pharaoh ants. Identification is essential for proper control as the control methods vary.   

• Velvety tree ants: Sometimes confused (by name) with velvet ants, which are actually wingless wasps, and sometimes confused visually with odorous house ants, these ants actually have more in common with carpenter ants. Velvety tree ants tunnel in wood and produce frass. While they prefer to create shallow nests in soil, they can create a nest inside. The good news is that these nests are usually not permanent, and they don't have reproductives. Outdoor colonies have multiple queens.

• Carpenter ants are big black ants with minor and major workers. Larger workers can be as much as 5/8 of an inch, depending on the species. These ants commonly get into structures and live in voids or tunnel galleries in wood. Indoor colonies can have reproductive.

How To Control All Types Of Ants

Ant control in Sacramento is a challenge. You have to understand the behavior patterns and life cycle of the ants being treated or you can get unwanted results, such as budding. This is when one colony splits into two or more colonies. It happens with ants that have multiple queens in a colony. For effective ant control, contact Neighborly Pest Management and let our licensed residential pest control professionals provide you with ant control solutions that work. This is really the best way to deal with ant control in your house or yard.