NJ Exterminators Name The Most Common Ants In New Jersey

Like clock-work, every spring, they come back, and we aren’t talking about something fun like the tulips in your garden - we are unfortunately referring to ants. That’s right, this is the time of year when hundreds, and thousands, and millions of ants are emerging from their overwintering spots, ready to breed, feed, and if not stopped - invade your New Jersey home and property! At Arrow Pest Control we want to provide you with a quick reference, a sort of “cliff-notes” guide, to common ant species found in New Jersey, and what you can do to protect your property and home from these annoying, damaging, and sometimes dangerous pests this spring and the rest of the year as well!

Acrobat Ants

Acrobat ants are named for their ability to hold their entire abdomen up over the rest of their body, as if they are performing a circus act! Acrobat ants contaminate food sources and strip the insulation from wires found in your home which can cause short circuits to occur. When trying to access homes or other buildings they tend to travel along utility lines, fences, and trees, entering inside through cracks and crevices found in exterior walls and the foundation. Once inside a home, they like to nest in areas of high moisture - their presence inside of your home may indicate a moisture issue.

Crazy Ants

Crazy ants are named for their frantic, zig-zag pattern of movement. Crazy ants can’t survive very cold temperatures and are therefore found living inside buildings and homes that provide them with a constant temperature. They are often introduced inside through infested deliveries and packages. Crazy ants are an aggressive species that won’t hesitate to bite if they are threatened or disturbed; they are attracted to electrical equipment and can cause damage to large appliances, air conditioning units, and heating units.

Odorous House Ants

As their very descriptive name suggests, odorous house ants create an unpleasant odor that is likened to blue cheese or rotten coconut. In most cases odorous house ants enter into homes while foraging for food sources or because of heavy rains that cause the ground to become too saturated with water for them to be comfortable. Inside they can be found nesting behind walls, under floors, crawl spaces, and other quiet areas that are close to food sources.

Pavement Ants

Pavement ants have the bad habit of creating nests underneath of and damaging structures like sidewalks, patios, foundations, and concrete slabs. Pavement ants have the ability to sting but are very docile and would rather avoid any sort of conflict than fight back by stinging. Pavement ants invade properties in very large numbers and inside of homes and other buildings contaminate food sources.

Pharaoh Ants

Pharaoh ants like to nest inside, in warm humid areas that are close to food sources; they move inside of homes and between homes using electrical wires and cables. Pharaoh ants are considered to be dangerous because they contaminate food sources, they have the ability to create multiple nesting sites through “budding”, and they carry and transmit very serious diseases including salmonella and Streptococcus. These ants are of particular concern inside of hospitals and nursing homes.

Carpenter Ants

Carpenter ants invade properties while foraging for food and shelter. Once inside they are often attracted to structural wood that has been previously damaged by water. They will invade the wood creating tunnels and nesting galleries; leaving their tunnels to forage for food in your home’s kitchen and pantry areas. If left untreated the tunnels and nesting areas that they create can eventually weaken the structural integrity of a home or other property.

At Arrow Pest Control we have the services you need to protect your home from any species of New Jersey ant. We recommend year-round services to protect your home and property from ants, while ants become more active in the spring, it is important to remember that ants really can invade and make themselves at home, inside of a New Jersey home, any time of the year! Our Home Protection Plus is a year-round program that provides full interior and exterior services to protect your entire property from a variety of common household pests including all of the ants listed above. For superior ant protection for your New Jersey home, trust the local pest experts found at Arrow Pest Control!