Have you been noticing ants in the house? This is the time of year when ants are foraging around for food and will even come into your house looking for a meal, according to David Robson, Extension educator, Horticulture with the Springfield Extension Center.

Ants can be red, brown or black. They come in various sizes from 1/16 to 1 inch in length.
The carpenter ant is roughly 1/2 inch long and black. These ants cause damage if they hollow out wooden structures of a house to make their nest. These ants invade only soft, wet wood that is easy to break down.

The pharaoh ant is 1/16 of an inch long and red in color. In early summer, most species of ants have winged males and females that can be seen in large numbers. These winged ants often are confused with termites. Ants have a constricted waist with elbowed antennae. Termites, on the other hand, have a thicker waist and no jointed antennae.

One or two ants in your house do not mean that you are being invaded. Ants are social insects and live in colonies usually located outdoors in the soil. Occasionally colonies are found under concrete slabs and in crawl spaces of homes. Every colony is composed of a queen that lays eggs, and worker ants that leave the colony in search of food for the queen and developing larvae. Ants feed on various materials depending on the species, including seeds, insects, bread, sugars and oils. Some species can be found near aphid populations feeding on their honeydew excretion.

Ants are generally not considered a damaging insect, but more of a nuisance in the household. When ants are seen in the home, they are looking for food to bring back to the queen and young ants. Therefore, ants do not pose a threat to humans.

For control of ants, find the colony and drench the nest with a recommended insecticide. To prevent ants entering from the outside, spray a 3-foot barrier of insecticide on the soil and 3 feet up the wall around the foundation of the house. This will repel the ants as they try to enter the house. Make sure to read and follow all label directions when using pesticides.

Author: David Robson, U of I Extension educator, horticulture