Types of Ants

One of the biggest pests we deal with on a daily basis are ants.  You can typically find them wherever people congregate and especially where there is food.  Even though most people identify ants by their coloring, typically red or black, but there are actually almost 1,000 species of ants in the United States.

There are several different methods of treating for ants and various products available to get rid of ants and prevent them from returning to your property. Identifying what type of ants are invading your space is important when selecting a treatment method and product. Some methods work better for certain ant species than other methods and not every ant killer product is labeled for all ant species.

The more popular ants are identified below and you can distinguish between ants or termites.  You can learn a little about the various ant species, including:

  • Carpenter Ants
  • Fire Ants
  • Pyramid Ants
  • Little Black Ants
  • Big Headed Ants
  • Argentine Ants
  • Crazy Ants
  • Ghost Ants
  • Pharaoh Ants
  • Thief Ants
  • White-Footed Ants

White-Footed Ant

Technomyrmex albipes

  • One node, hidden by abdomen
  • Black with pale yellow or white at the end of their legs
  • Does Not Sting
  • 1/8 inch long
  • Found in Florida, Hawaii, and Southern California
  • Prefer sweets
  • Two nodes
  • Yellow-reddish body with black shading on the top rear of abdomen
  • 1/16 – 1/12 inch long
  • Will Sting
  • Found in the South and across US
  • Will eat sweets and proteins
  • Need lots of water to survive: found near ponds, water dishes, etc.

Pharaoh Ant

Monomorium pharaonis

Pavement Ant

Tetramorium caespitum

  • Two nodes
  • Light brown or black, legs and antennae are paler than body
  • 1/8 inch long
  • Will Sting
  • Found along West Coast, Midwest, and Northwest USA
  • Will eat almost anything
  • Two nodes
  • Red with a darker reddish-brown abdomen
  • Will Sting Like Hell
  • 1/16 – 1/4 inch long
  • Found in Southeast and Southwest
  • Prefer high-protein foods

Fire Ant

Solenopsis invicta – hurtslikehelicus

Crazy Ant

Paratrechina longicornis

  • One node, Slender Body, Long Antennae and Legs
  • Vary in color
  • Will Not Sting
  • 1/16 to 1/8 inch long
  • Mostly found in southwest and southeast
  • Move fast and erratically, appear to be confused or lost
  • Prefer sweets and other insects
  • One node
  • Varies in color, from black to brown to red
  • No stinger
  • 1/4 to 1/2 inch long
  • Have large mandibles (jaws/pinchers on the head)
  • Found throughout the US
  • Will build nests in moist, rotting wood. Can sometimes be found in walls indoors and in rotten tree stumps and logs outside.
  • Will eat food debris indoors

Carpenter Ants

Formica ligniperda

Ghost Ants

Tapinoma melanocephalum

  • One node (hard to see)
  • Black head and thorax, pale abdomen and legs
  • No stinger
  • 1/16 inch long
  • Mostly found in Pacific Northwest, Florida, and Hawaii
  • Prefer sweets and insects
  • Will forage for water during dry weather
  • Two nodes
  • Vary in color from pale yellow to light or dark brown
  • 1/16 inch long
  • Has very small stinger
  • Found across the US
  • Prefer high protein foods
  • Will enter homes and structures during hot, dry weather

Thief Ants

Solenopsis molesta