Eco-Friendly Ant Control

Appearance: Fire ants are dark reddish-brown in colour and range from 3mm to 10mm in size. "Fire ant" is actually a broad label that refers to a number of ant species in the genus Solenopsis.

Habitat: Fire ants tend to build their nests outdoors in damp soil with direct sun exposure - nests can be 1m deep with up to a 40cm mound.

Threat: Fire ants are notoriously aggressive and pack a painful sting. The sting often results in a raised welt, and individuals allergic to insect stings will experience more severe symptoms. They don't often pose risk to structures, but large colonies can damage landscaped spaces and even contribute to significant crop-loss.

Appearance: Moisture ants are typically 3mm in length and reddish to brown in colour. You can likely differentiate them from other ants by their affinity for wet spaces.

Habitat: As the name suggests, moisture ants require an abundance of water to sustain their colony so they will typically only be found nesting in wet wood.

Threat: Aside from contaminating food sources, moisture ants can cause significant property damage. They create nests by burring into wet wood, effectively further weakening already compromised structures.

Appearance: Pavement ants are dark brown in colour and are approximately 3mm long.

Habitat: Pavement ants get their name from their preferred habitat - in or under the pavement. They often infest structures by entering through holes in the concrete.

Threat: These are often the ants that you will see crawling on your kitchen counters and around door and window frames - looking for food sources.

Pavement ants don't immediately cause property damage, but if left unchecked, they can excavate enough dirt from under your concrete pad or pavement to allow for sinkage and cracking etc. Short-term property issues with pavement ants are usually limited to unsightly mounds of dirt.

Appearance: Odorous house ants are dark brown to black in colour, and range in size from approximately 1.5mm to 3mm.

Habitat: Odorous house ants are known to build nests in exposed soil and don't often create a large hill, as most people expect to see. They will also nest in walls and cracks in floors.

Threat: These ants do not pose a significant structural or health risk, however, they can contaminate food and are difficult to eradicate once a large population takes hold. Additionally, they emit a rotten coconut-like smell when crushed, which is why they are known as "odorous" ants.

Appearance: Every ant species has winged "swarmers", and every colony will swarm once a year to colonize new areas. We get calls about "the winged kind" frequently, but unfortunately, this feature can't be used for a positive ID.

Swarming: Ant swarms consist of the reproductive males and females only (with wings). The males die after mating, and the females fly on to attempt to establish new colonies.

Threat: Although they can be concerning, there isn't a lot to do about winged ants. If you are noticing a large population, it is likely not isolated to your property alone. They won't hurt you, and after a day or two, they will likely be gone.