When you see a spider, you probably run or at least flounder helplessly in a corner until someone removes it. Cockroaches likely make your skin crawl and your hair stand on end. A scorpion might send you into convulsions, but an ant is probably lucky to inspire a raised eyebrow. Granted, the presence of one or two ants is no reason to sound an alarm. Unfortunately, when several hundred join forces, they can do a surprising amount of damage.
Never Underestimate the Ant
Ruining your picnic is child’s play for some ants. Here are a few ways various types of Texas ants can make your life miserable.
• Common household ants can contaminate your food stores in record time. They’re especially fond of sweets. They carry bacteria on their feet, so once an army of ants invades a food item, it’s theirs.
• Red imported fire ants typically nest outdoors. Their mounds can damage your landscape, and they present a serious health hazard to those allergic to them. These little insects go nuts if you disturb their home; their painful and relentless stings aren’t something you’ll forget.
• When carpenter ants invade a home, they cause extensive structural damage by tunneling through wood to create their nests. If left untreated, a severe infestation can threaten the stability of a home’s entire framework.
• Pharaoh ants like to nest and live indoors where they can exacerbate respiratory symptoms in people with asthma and allergies. If they invade a hospital, they can spread dangerous bacteria such as clostridium, salmonella, and staphylococcus.
• Crazy ants, named for their erratic, frenzied running behavior, are aggressive and obnoxious pests with an odd taste for electronics. They have a reputation for destroying computers, transformers, smartphones and residential wiring. In a single year, researchers documented crazy ant damages to electrical equipment totaling more than $146 million in Texas alone.
What Kind of Ant Is That?
Some ants are a bigger problem than others, but with so many species making the Lone Star State their home, identifying Texas ants is a challenge. If you’re not sure what kind of ants are scoping out your property, it’s best to seek professional advice before an infestation gets out of control.
Trust ABC Home & Commercial Services to End the Ant’s Antics
When ants invade your Bryan-College Station-area home or yard, call the pest control experts who’ve been winning battles against Central Texas bugs for 60 years. Our skilled technicians will carefully inspect the interior and exterior of your home to identify pests and their damage, and then we’ll customize a pest treatment program to perfectly meet your needs. To get rid of ants before they threaten your health or property, contact us to learn more, or schedule service today.