All ants live in colonies. Few ant colonies do not create nests to survive. However, most ants, especially those we find indoors live in nests to survive. Ants live in a caste system where they are composed of an egg-laying female or a queen, short-lived males, and sterile female workers.
Developed wings usually swarm during the spring and may even be mistaken for swarming termites when they mistakenly go indoors. These ants build and commonly live outdoors, but they become a threat and a problem for homeowners when they start living indoors. Although they do not have a nest indoors, they may still pose a threat, especially when they have created their nest near your home.
Ants that live outdoors, but forage indoors
Ants that travel indoors may just be nesting near your home to search for food. The odorous house ant commonly live outdoors, but will travel great distances just to get their food. These ants are commonly found in kitchens, and can be identified by their coconut-like odor that they emit when they are crushed.
Pavement ants are also found outdoors and are common under rocks or pavements. These ants are a nuisance because of how they create their nests. They will create nesting by mining the sand and soil from concrete slabs, sidewalks, patios, and sometimes in driveways and basements. They are known for their nesting behavior of moving the substrate.
Ants that are constantly found indoors, although they live outdoors, may eventually decide to stay indoors, which could cause for more problems in the long run.
Ants that live indoors, and forage indoors
Carpenter ants live outdoors, but they can live indoors and will mostly build their nest in dry or rotting wood. They can also create their nests in soil. It is difficult to control carpenter ants since it takes years to find their nests. In most cases, these ants can be found as soon as the wood that they are consuming is discovered.
Why Ant Control is Difficult
Ants are difficult to control simply because of their nesting behavior and the known lifespan of their colonies. While some ant colonies only have a single queen, most ant colonies have multiple queens that can produce their own eggs, then workers that will help them in creating a larger colony. Some queens can live for ten to twenty years while workers may live to up to a year or even more. For instance, carpenter ant queens can live to up to 27 years, and her workers can live for several years.
Colonies can create a bigger problem once the queen produces fertile reproductives that are able to create sub colonies. Once these sub colonies are created, the main colony will still have the opportunity to make the main colony bigger, thus creating a mega colony. Destroying one colony may not be enough, especially if sub colonies are already created. Ants are great survivalists. When these ants are attacked, worker ants will carry the eggs to a new safer location so that their colony can continue on living.
In order for these ants to be totally controlled, pest control professionals need to find the nesting sites and kill all the queens and the nesting site as much as they can. This will require baiting or the use of boric acid to repel them, and properly finding outdoor sites where the nesting site can be poured with boiling water or they can be given commercial ant baits.
Ant infestations should be taken seriously and should be given to pest control professionals, especially if the infestation becomes serious for homeowners to handle and the nesting sites become difficult to find and eliminate. For effective ant control, trust Preventive Pest Control. Call us today for a FREE inspection!