HOUSE ANTS 



They swarm from the old nest, usually in considerable numbers, and 

 attract attention by their abundance. Most of them die without 

 causing injury; probably not 1 queen in 500 succeeds in establishing 

 a new colony. These winged forms do not return to the old nest. 



Ants Are Not Termites 



Ants and termites are very distinct. They are alike in that they 

 live in colonies and send forth at times swarms of winged forms. 

 But worker termites are whitish, are never seen run- 

 ning freely about the house or yard, and are always 

 hidden in their burrows in the woodwork. The 

 wings of swarming queens and males of termites 

 (fig. 2) are long, narrow, whitish, easily broken off, 

 and about twice as long as the body itself. The 

 wings of house ants (figs. 1, 3, 4) are not so narrow 

 but taper more sharply toward the body, are trans- 

 parent, are not shed so easily, and are not much 

 longer than the body itself. Furthermore, ants can 

 always be distinguished from termites because the 

 abdomen (the hind part of the body) joins the 

 thorax (the part bearing the wings) by a more or 

 less threadlike constriction (fig. 1, A, C, B ; fig. 3), 

 whereas the termite abdomen is not constricted at 

 the base. Termites never cause sawdust to fall from 

 infested wood as do some house ants. For easily 

 observed differences in body and wing outline see 

 figures 1, 2, 3, and 4. 



The More Common Species 



Pharoah'sant (M onomorium pharaonisLi.) is one 

 of the most common and troublesome of house ants. 

 It is a red ant and is so small that it is hard to see. 

 In temperate regions it passes its entire existence in 

 heated houses, forming its colonies beneath floors, in 

 wall spaces, etc. It is best killed with poisoned baits 

 made according to formula 1 or 2, if powders, 

 chemical barriers, or ant tapes are not used. 



The large yellow ant (Lasius inter jectus Mayr) 

 is light yellow. During the winter and spring, in 

 heated houses, the winged forms (which have dark- 

 colored wings) are often found emerging from the 

 soil through cracks in basement floors. Their 

 colonies are best destroyed by means of carbon disulphide, hot water, 

 or kerosene. 



The little black ant (M onomorium minimum Buckley) (fig. 1) is, 

 as its name implies, a tiny black species. It is often found nesting 

 in decayed bits of wood in the house, and beneath garage and walk 

 pavings, where it forms colonies in the soil. When it is found nesting 

 in the house, use a poisoned bait for control; when out of doors, use 

 carbon disulphide, hot water, or kerosene. 



The thief ant (Solenopsis molesta Say) lives out of doors and is 

 troublesome in houses only during the warmer seasons of the year. 



Figure 2. — Winged 

 reproductive ter- 

 mite, ready for 

 swarming. Much 

 enlarged. This is 

 the only form in 

 which termites are 

 commonly seen 

 outside of their 

 burrows. 



