Ants are a common pest throughout the Pacific Northwest and their presence can quickly ruin a picnic or other outdoor events. Seeming to appear out of nowhere, they can end up crawling on your skin while quickly contaminating any food or drinks you have set out. As aggravating as this is, it is even more frustrating to find them in your home. Ants infest cabinets and crawl across floors and countertops, spreading bacteria and germs wherever they go. They are notoriously hard to eliminate and people who attempt to go the DIY route often find themselves engaged in a frenzied and futile battle before finally calling in our pest control experts. One species, in particular, can be challenging, both in terms of the size of the infestation and the effort needed to eradicate it. Known as crazy ants, they are aptly named for the amount of trouble they can cause for homeowners.
Identifying Crazy Ants in Your Home
The species Paratrechina longicornis, otherwise known as crazy ants, is one of the most invasive ant species in the world. Researchers at the University of Utah refer to them as tramps, meaning that they can attach themselves to humans and can easily travel long distances before eventually invading your home. Unlike regular ants, which have predictable behaviors and typically follow established trails, crazy ants get their name from their frantic, erratic movements, which often make them appear as if they are lost or confused.
Crazy ants are distinct from other ant species in that they have extremely long legs. Ranging in color from dark brown to black, they are smaller than some of the other ant types and usually reach only three millimeters or roughly one-tenth of an inch. In addition to their size, shape, and disorganized movements, crazy ants can be identified by how quickly they can swarm when they find a food source, even if it is just a drop of spilled liquid or a few crumbs. Places in your home where you are most likely to find crazy ants include:
- Outdoor areas, such as around grills, picnic tables, and potted plants;
- In the kitchen, on countertops, floors, or in cabinets;
- On living room floors or rugs, wherever crumbs or liquids are spilled;
- In pantries and other food storage areas, where products are not tightly secured;
- Near garbage cans, compost piles, and recycling bins.
Dealing With a Crazy Ant Infestation
Crazy ants are one of the most common types of invasive species and can be found living in areas across the United States as well as in different countries throughout the world. They are able to withstand changes in climate and a single colony can quickly reproduce and reach large numbers. Crazy ants are generally adaptable to both moist or warm environments and can take root in any of the following places around your home:
- In gardens, flowerpots, and other outdoor areas around your property;
- In places where concrete is cracked or chipped, such as in sidewalks;
- Under your home or porch and around your foundation;
- In decaying sheds, decks, or in piles of old wood.
One of the challenges in dealing with a crazy ant infestation is that they can build colonies far away from their food source. When regular ants invade your home, the colony is close by and therefore easy for a pest professional to find and eliminate. With crazy ants, they are capable of traveling far distances and the actual colony is likely to not be anywhere near your residence. In addition to how quickly they reproduce and how invasive they can be in foraging for food, problems in locating the colony so it can be eliminated is one of the reasons you need to call Pointe Pest Control.
You Can Trust Pointe Pest Control to Eliminate Your Crazy Ant Problem
As your premier local pest control service provider, our team is highly skilled and dedicated to locating crazy ant colonies, regardless of how far they are from your home. While others may offer these services, few provide their technicians with the specialized training and hands-on experience we provide to our pest control specialists.
To keep crazy ants from invading your home or to deal with a current infestation, get our pest elimination experts working hard on your side. Call one of our local offices or contact Pointe Pest Control online to request a free inspection today.
