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What Are The Most Common Ant Species In Home Infestations?

Although there are many ant species that will enter the home, only three are very common in home infestations and require professional pest control services to be removed. These three species are the carpenter ant, the odorous house ant, and the pavement ant. In this article, we’re going to take a look at these species and how their infestations manifest.

Carpenter ants

Carpenter ants are one of the worst ant species that can invade your home. While most ant infestations result in a minor inconvenience, carpenter ants can do a lot of damage to the home, because they will build their colonies inside of wood. Luckily, they can be easily identified when they come out to forage for food. Carpenter ants are significantly larger than other ants, so if you see large black ants crawling around the kitchen, you should call a pest control pro right away.

Odorous house ants

Odorous house ants are more of a nuisance than a true pest, but they are nonetheless a bother to have in the home. When an odorous house ant is killed, it will release a rotten coconut smell that will linger in the home for a while. They are much smaller than carpenter ants, and you will be able to identify them by the smell that they release upon death.

Pavement ants

Pavement ants are one of the most common species in home infestations, and the only threat that they pose is their sting, which is quite rare. In order to be stung by a pavement ant, you have to pick them up and squeeze them, which does not happen very often. The name “pavement ant” refers to the propensity of this species to build its nests under concrete slabs, driveways, sidewalks and patios.

Honorable mention – the fire ant

While fire ants do not commonly infest the home, they can build nests on your property, and they will defend these nests fiercely. The fire ant is best known for its painful sting, and when a fire ant nest is threatened, the workers will swarm the person or the animal responsible, stinging multiple times.

Getting rid of ants

If you have an ant infestation in the home, the best way to make sure that it’s removed is to work with a pest control pro. Contact us today if you’ve noticed ants crawling in your home, and we will send someone over right away.