Fire Ants are the most dangerous and common ants in the United States. They are dangerous because they have a poisonous bite. Treating fire ants are similar to treating any of the different ants except that the process takes a little big longer than the others. Fire ants are attracted to electrical junction boxes of traffic signals, air conditioners, etc. when fire ants mass around the electrical contact points, they can cause the equipment to malfunction. Fire ants usually prefer food with high protein content but will feed on almost anything, plant or animal.
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Many people believe that Fire Ants are only one type of ant. That is a common misconception. There are over 280 known species all over the world! Some other names include the Tropical Fire Ant, Aka-kami-ari in Japan, and Feuermaeise in German.

To start off, in order to identify a fire ant, you should know what they look like. There are three main parts to a fire ant: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. With those include three pairs of legs and of course, the antennae. So how could a person distinguish a fire ant from another ant? Well, fire ants have copper-brown colored bodies, and their heads are the same color, as well, while their abdomens are a darker color. Worker ants can have a color range anywhere from black to red and usually are .12 to .24 inches long.

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Question:

What is the best way to control crazy ants in a kitchen area? They are first seen by the window above the sink and then all over counters and cabinets. – Kevin, VT

Answer:

Crazy Ants are given this wild name because of their rapid, zig-zag fashion of running around. They are very long legged, giving them an even greater ability to run quickly. They apparently cannot tolerate cold temperatures very well, and so are more common in the southern states, but when occurring in northern states like Vermont are prone to entering structures for the winter. They will then nest in voids or even the soil of potted plants, and forage throughout the building. They will feed on sugars or protein, but appear to be particularly partial to the proteins – greases and animal matter – so the kitchen is a great place to find them, as well as around pet foods. Keep Reading

HOW to GET RID of CARPENTER ANT

Carpenter Ants feed off of moist or partially decayed wood. They will be found where water leaks onto the wood. Carpenter Ants increases after sunset particularly in spring and summer. They act as termites; however, they do not eat the wood. Carpenter Ants will do damage on the house but damaging the wood they are trying to build their nests upon.

INSPECTION

Many of Carpenter Ants mounds will be found in these areas: moist wall voids, attics, flooring or sub flooring, ceilings, windows, skylights, hollow doors, dishwashers, trash compactors, plumbing, pipe chases outdoors, trees, stumps/dead trees, landscape timbers, woodpiles and fences, leaf litter, debris piles, mulch beds, roof lines and gutters, soffits and vents, windows and door frames, utility entrances, sheds and doghouses, and trash containers. More on How to Get Rid of Carpenter Ants

Many people may wonder why the Crazy Rasberry Ant is called just that – a crazy rasberry ant! This species was coined “crazy” because of the ants’ irregular, indirect, and nonlinear movements. “Rasberry” was taken after the exterminator Tom Rasberry who was the first to notice a problem with these ants back in 2002. Because these ants prefer warmth and moistness before cold, dry weather, Houston, Texas is a popular nesting place for these big infestations.

History
Many believe that these ants are native to India but are now distributed around the world. Some of the most common areas for these ant infestations are in the U.S. from Florida to Texas, and in other states from California to New York.
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