Ants

Do you have Ants? American Extermination Plus, Inc. is ready to help.

The Pacific Northwest is home to many varieties of ants, ranging from the tiny (but annoying) “sugar” ant to the large and destructive carpenter ant. At American Extermination, our technicians have the experience needed to tackle your ant problem and get results. We start by completing a free inspection to determine what kind of ants you have, and identifying entry points and harborage areas. Then, we’ll work with you to create a treatment plan to eliminate and prevent infestations

Little Black Ant (Monomorium minimum)

The Little Black Ant is one of a few species of ant commonly referred to as “sugar ants”. Their nests are typically found in open areas. They will nest in rotten wood, woodwork, and the masonry of buildings. Colonies have multiple queens and can become very large. They feed mostly on plant secretions, but will occasionally invade houses in search of food, such as sweets, meats, bread, grease, vegetables, and fruit.

Appearance: The Little Black Ant is aptly named. They are shiny and jet black in color. Workers are about 1/15th of an inch long, and queens are approximately twice as “large”.
Behavior: The Little Black Ant has a fairly large colony, consisting of thousands of members. There are only two types of colony members; workers and queens. In the wild, these ants are scavengers- and they aren’t picky eaters. They’ll eat anything from bird droppings to plant secretions. In your home, just about anything they can find will do.
Nests: The Little Black Ant likes to build it’s nest under rocks and decaying logs in the yard. When nesting indoors, they will often build in the woodworks and wall voids.
What To Look For: This is one pest you won’t have to look for. They’re not shy about being out in the open, and with their sense of smell and ability to communicate via hormones, they have a keen ability to find even the smallest dropped crumbs and spills and swarm around them

Pavement Ant (Tetramorium immigrans)
The Pavement Ant is one of a few species referred to as the “sugar ant”. They originated in Europe, and are common all across North America. They’re well adapted to urban environments, and get their name from their preferred nesting location.

Appearance: They Pavement Ant worker is about 1/8th of an inch long. They’re shiny, and have dark brown to black bodies with lighter colored legs.
Behavior: Pavement ants have very large colonies that can include over 10,000 workers. They usually only have 1 queen, but they can have as many as 3. Pavement ants are territorial, and will fight other colonies and species that venture too far in to their land. They will travel as far as 30 feet from their nest to forage. Besides foraging, they also tend Aphids and eat the honeydew they secrete.
Nests: If you go for a walk in the summer, you will notice small sand or dirt craters in the cracks and edges of the sidewalks, These are the entry holes to the Pavement Ant’s nest. They also like to nest under patios and building foundations. If there’s no pavement around, they’ll nest deep in the dirt away from vegetation.
What to Look For: If you have sugar ants of any kind, you probably won’t have to look for them. This species is not picky about it’s diet. It will feast on most anything in the kitchen, and it’s not shy about being seen. They may also be attracted to standing water in the home