Lexington’s Summer Ant Invaders

Ants can make Lexington yards and homes a nightmare during the summer months, especially carpenter ants, odorous house ants, and pavement ants! You may be thinking, how much damage can a little ant cause? The damages these ants can cause can actually be quite devastating, especially when dealing with carpenter ants! Though spotting an ant or two here and there isn’t much of an issue, if you see one ant on your property, that most likely means there are many more where that one can from; large populations of these tiny pests on your property or inside your home can cause costly damage to your home, food contamination, and even allergies! To sum things up, ants are nuisance pests that can create serious problems for homeowners this summer and need to be prevented with pest control services in Lexington!

Now that the summer has arrived in Lexington and with it brought longer days and warmer weather, the ant populations in the area are becoming much more active and beginning to establish their colonies. These pests are not just a problem in your backyard, however; they will also invade homes during the summer months in search of a place to live that provides them shelter from the heat and access to both food and moisture. Inside homes, ants can commonly be found in basements, pantries, and under sinks.

While there are many different species of ants that can be found in Lexington, here are a few of the most common ants that become problematic in this area during the summertime:

Pavement Ants: Pavement ants are one of the most common species of ants in the United States. These ants are shiny black or brown ants and range from 1/16 to ? of an inch long. Pavement ants are most commonly found creating little dirt mounds in between your sidewalks, in cracks in your driveway, and around the foundation of your house. While these ants may not seem like much of a nuisance, they can actually become quite problematic if they decide to invade your home. Pavement ants will eat just about anything and can quickly contaminate your pantry or cupboards and cause a great deal of food waste if they get into your food.

Odorous House Ants: These ants are often confused with pavement ants as they are very similar in both color and size, but they are actually quite different. The most distinguishing factor about the odorous house ant is their smell; when crushed, these ants emit an unpleasant odor that is often described as a rotten coconut scent. Odorous house ants are opportunistic nesters and will build their nests just about anywhere. These ants feed on sweet foods, dead animals, and other insects and prefer to establish their colonies in areas of high moisture or near heat sources. Like pavement ants, these ants are capable of invading your food sources and contaminating them.

Carpenter Ants: The carpenter ant is the most common destructive species of ant found in the Lexington area; in fact, these ants are just as damaging as termites! These ants build their colonies in areas of damp, water-damaged wood, like in leaky basements or in the framework of homes. As they tunnel through wood and hollow it out, carpenter ants can cause extensive damage to the structural integrity of your home. These ants are noticeably larger than both the pavement ant and the odorous house ant, ranging between ¼ and ½ of an inch long.

The professionals at Action Pest Control are your neighborhood expert on all things ant! Our year-round pest control services include protection from ants as well as a variety of other common household pests. Contact us to schedule an inspection and evaluation and start protecting your Lexington home from the damages that these seemingly harmless pests can cause!