Ant infestation is the most commonly reported pest problem in Murfreesboro and surrounding areas. These tiny scavengers will enter your home or business looking for moisture and an accessible food source. Rotting or damp wood that is moldy can attract ants. Ants also feed on sugar, cheese, meats, vegetables, grease, peanut butter, and dead insects.Ants often enter a home through cracks and crevices around windows or doors, but they can find numerous entrances to your home or office. Once inside, the growing ant colony can become a problem quickly, as ants mature from juveniles to adults within a matter of days.
It is necessary to properly identify the ant species that you have in order to effectively eradicate them. Of the thousands of species of ants, the five listed below are the most commonly found in our Rutherford and Wilson County Service Area.
Odorous House Ants: These ants get their name from the fact that workers smell like rotten coconut when they are crushed. They are small, brown antsabout 1/8" long. The workers are all the same size. This ant will have numerous queens and large colonies. They do infest homes and offices. Nests can be founs most anywhere, from under mulch, under carpet, beneath planters, in houseplants, in wall cavities nesting in insulation and even in the crawl spaces under houses. They adapt to most conditions very well. Odorous House Ants are the number one ant species that we have here in the Murfreesboro and Mt. Juliet area.
Carpenter Ants: are about five eighths inches long. They tend to burrow in damp wood but have also been known to damage solid wood. They do not eat the wood, but simply remove it in order to build a nest.
Red Imported Fire Ants: vary in size from one-eighth to three-eighths inches. Fire Ants have multiple size workers in the colony. They construct large mounds for nests and administer painful stings. These ants will build large nest next to electrical boxes, along the foundation of a structure, and next to sidewalks and driveways. We have found Fire Ants in most of the cities and towns in Middle Tennessee.
Pavement Ants: are about one-eighth inch long. They generally make their nests in pavement cracks and are also capable of infesting a building.
Pharoah Ants: are about one-sixteenth inch long. These ants are commonly found in hospitals and nursing homes, where they are are capable of transmitting Staphylecoccus and Psuedomonas infections. Pharoah Ants also invade restaurants, apartment buildings and similar dwellings.
Ants with wings can easily be mistaken for termites, which may lead to a wrong treatment. In comparison, ants have a very narrow thorax (mid-section), while termites' bodies are more uniform. If you find what appear to be swarming ants or termites, we recommend you collect samples and have them properly identified by a professional to ensure proper action can be taken to protect your home.
Please click here to read our blogs on ants:
Spring is in the Air and Ants are on the Move in Middle Tennessee
Homeowner Pest Prevention Tips
The Ant Institute
Carpenter Ants: are about five eighths inches long. They tend to burrow in damp wood but have also been known to damage solid wood. They do not eat the wood, but simply remove it in order to build a nest.
Red Imported Fire Ants: vary in size from one-eighth to three-eighths inches. Fire Ants have multiple size workers in the colony. They construct large mounds for nests and administer painful stings. These ants will build large nest next to electrical boxes, along the foundation of a structure, and next to sidewalks and driveways. We have found Fire Ants in most of the cities and towns in Middle Tennessee.
Pavement Ants: are about one-eighth inch long. They generally make their nests in pavement cracks and are also capable of infesting a building.
Pharoah Ants: are about one-sixteenth inch long. These ants are commonly found in hospitals and nursing homes, where they are are capable of transmitting Staphylecoccus and Psuedomonas infections. Pharoah Ants also invade restaurants, apartment buildings and similar dwellings.
Ants with wings can easily be mistaken for termites, which may lead to a wrong treatment. In comparison, ants have a very narrow thorax (mid-section), while termites' bodies are more uniform. If you find what appear to be swarming ants or termites, we recommend you collect samples and have them properly identified by a professional to ensure proper action can be taken to protect your home.
Please click here to read our blogs on ants:
Spring is in the Air and Ants are on the Move in Middle Tennessee
Homeowner Pest Prevention Tips
The Ant Institute
