Due to its warm climate and desert landscape, Albuquerque is home to numerous insects and other pests that can infest the home. To spot an infestation, it is important to know what each of the most common intruders looks like and he damage they cause. Here are some of the most common ants you’ll see in Albuquerque.

Fire Ants

Fire ants are named both for their red appearance and the sting of their bite. These ants live in soil mounds around the home and prefer open, sunny areas. Fire ants rarely grow to more than a quarter of an inch, but their painful bite is enough to earn them a reputation as a feared pest and a serious nuisance.

Argentine Ants

Argentine ants are commonly found in Arizona homes and often compete with fire ants for territory. These aggressive ants eat other insects inside the home and have a uniform brown appearance with antennae and a notch above the abdomen. When they are crushed, Argentine ants release an unpleasant odor. Unlike many other odorous ants, Argentine ants only enter the house when it is very dry or wet outside.

Acrobat Ants

Acrobats are known for raising their abdomens over their thorax in a territorial display when threatened or disturbed. There are many subspecies of acrobat ants, but they tend to vary in shade from light brown to black. These ants are small and give off a foul odor when they feel threatened. Acrobat ants can enter your home through small openings and often form colonies in shrubbery and tree branches near the house.

Citronella Ants

Citronella ants are relatively small yellow ants that tend to freed on shrub rots and mealybugs. These ants are named for the unpleasant lemon verbena odor they produce when crushed. Citronella ants are a nuisance as they sometimes enter the home through cracks in the foundation and often appear in alarming swarms.

Odorous House Ants

Odorous house ants, also known as tapinoma sessile, are some of the most common infesting ants. These small ants have dark brown bodies and can sometimes appear black. Odorous house ants earned their name because of the distinct rotten coconut smell that is released when they are crushed. These ants frequently nest in walls, making them very difficult to exterminate on your own. Most people notice an infestation when the colony sends out its workers to forage for food. Like acrobat ants, odorous house ants will raise their abdomens in the air when threatened by a predator.

If you have ants, call Preventive Pest Control right away!