HOUSE ANTS 3 
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 running freely about 
the house or yard, and are always hidden in their burrows in the wood- 
work. 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 transparent, 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, D; 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. 
FIGURE 2.—Winged reproductive termite, ready for swarming. Muchenlarged. This is the only form 
in which termites are commonly seen outside of their burrows. 
The More Common Species 
Pharaoh’s ant (Vonomorium pharaonis L.) 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 interjectus 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 de- 
stroyed by means of carbon disulphide, hot water, or kerosene. 
The little black ant (Vonomorium 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. 
Its workers are tiny, yellowish, and even smaller than Pharaoh’s ant. 
