Common Household Ants- Austin, TX
Is It Really A Sugar Ant, or Another Type of Native Texas Ant Species?
If you think you have a sugar ant infestation in your Austin home or commercial property, you may actually be dealing with these common Texas native ant species:
Pharaoh Ants
Size: Very tiny—less than 2mm or 1/16 of an inch long
Color: Red and black markings on abdomen, light yellow body
Diet: Eat sweets and other insects
Habitat: Colonies can be found in walls, cabinets, baseboards, and other dark, warm spaces
Pharaoh ants can carry diseases, rarely bite
Acrobat Ants
Size: Very small–less than 5.5mm long
Color: Dark brown, may be winged
Diet: Eat sweets, meat, and other insect secretions
Habitat: Nest can be found in moist environments, such as beneath siding, vents, or other insulated spaces in or around the home.
Acrobat ants will raise their abdomen above their head if disturbed and may give off an odor. Acrobat ants rarely bite, but can cause structural damage to wood
Crazy Ants
Size: Small—About 1/8 inches in length
Color: Dark gray, black, or reddish-brown with long legs and antennae. Covered in small hairs, may have wings but rarely fly
Diet: Eat sweets, greasy food, other insects
Habitat: Found under logs, soil, but are especially attracted to electrical equipment
Characterized by moving fast and erratically with no sense of direction. When threatened, crazy ants send out a scent to attract other ants, and can cause massive damage to electrical equipment, but rarely are a direct danger to humans.
Carpenter Ants
Size: Large—1/4-3/4 inches long
Color: Dull black or dark brown, red abdomen. May have wings and large mandibles.
Diet: Eats sweets, meats, other insects
Habitat: Colonize in moist environments, where wood is found, such as walls, chimneys, crevices, doorframes, baseboards, etc.
Can often be mistaken for termite infestations due to the structural damage to wood that carpenter ants cause. Can bite in defense and potentially cause pain to humans.
If you think you have carpenter ants, crazy ants, pharaoh ants, acrobat ants, or any other type of sugar ant in your home, contact the pest control and ant experts at Magic Pest and Lawn immediately.