When was the last time you noticed the common ants around your feet? While they’re easy to overlook when quietly going about their business, it’s different when you see them wandering inside your home or workplace.
It’s essential to tell the difference between a carpenter, honey, or other ant and determine which common ant you’re dealing with and what you can do about it. Where do you turn when you need answers fast? Let American Pest Control help you identify and eliminate the most common ants you’ll encounter in Illinois.
Are Ants Dangerous?
Seeing a few ants outside your home or business isn’t uncommon. They can even be beneficial. However, thousands of them swarming on the pavement, in your garage, or around your lawn is cause for concern. While these tiny pests can be unsightly outside your home, they can cause many problems inside.
Despite their small size, an ant infestation can be a huge annoyance—not to mention dangerous. Ants can damage structures or property, spread food-borne illnesses like salmonella and E. coli, and deliver painful bites that can cause allergic reactions.
For example, carpenter ants can quickly chew through wood inside your walls and cause structural damage. Pharaoh ants may chew on electrical wires inside your walls, which is a fire hazard. Of the most common ants in Illinois, the pharaoh ant is also one of the most problematic for its invasive ability to spread disease swiftly.
Why Do I Have an Ant Problem?
In most cases, ants are motivated by basic survival instincts. They’re hunting for food, water, and shelter. Unfortunately, our home or business offers the perfect place for all three. But it’s not always easy to tell what their goal is.
That’s where calling in the experts really helps. The longer it takes to identify your ant problem and try several methods to eliminate them, the longer the invaders have to multiply and build their defenses. American Pest Control can quickly identify many types of insects in Illinois and apply just what you need to end that pest problem and prevent it from returning.
Where Will I Find Ants?
Sometimes, you can follow the ants to what seems to be their source, but it can go much deeper than you assume.
You might see ants in kitchens, pantries, bathrooms, and basements. Look deeper to find their nests:
- Under your floors.
- Behind walls and inside insulation.
- In attics and crawl spaces.
- Behind large appliances.
- Near heating and plumbing systems.
Outside ants are easy to spot on decks, patios, sidewalks, and driveways. Nests can be concealed:
- In the soil.
- In wood and brush piles.
- Underneath fallen trees or rocks.
- Inside rotting trees and stumps.
- Along fence lines and post holes.
- Deep in the cracks of pavement or sidewalks.
Are There Fire Ants in Illinois?
Fire ants are not typically found in Illinois. They’re more common in southern states such as Alabama, Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. These ants usually don’t live in areas that are especially cold or where there’s a lack of water. Fire ants prefer the humid, Southern weather to other climates.
What Kind of Ants Are in Illinois?
Although pests don’t tend to respect state lines, certain environments are more friendly than others to specific creatures, including ants. There are dozens of species of ants in Illinois, making it challenging to know which are invading your property. Here, we’ll list Illinois’s most common ant species and how to eliminate them effectively. You’ll also learn how American Pest Control can eradicate and keep ants from returning.
Acrobat Ants
Most acrobat ants are light brown, yellow, or black; some are even multicolored. Their name comes from the fact that they can hold their heart-shaped abdomen up over the rest of their body. They also release a foul odor when threatened.
Acrobat ants live underneath rocks, wood, firewood piles, fallen tree trunks or stumps, or nests created by other insects. Honeydew secretions from mealybugs, aphids, and other insects (either dead or alive) are their primary food source. Inside your home, they’ll feed on high-protein foods or sweets.
Argentine Ants
Shiny dark brown or black in color, Argentine ants are intelligent ants with oval-shaped bodies. They live in colonies that can have hundreds of thousands of members. These massive colonies are usually in moist or damp areas near food, like sidewalk cracks, beneath logs or rocks, or near buildings. They’ll move inside if they detect food or need shelter. As omnivores, they’ll eat anything and are very efficient foragers.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants get their name from their tendency to burrow into tree trunks, logs, or door or window frames to create their nests. They’re much larger than other ants, growing to ⅛ inch or ½ inch in length. Depending on the specific species, these ants will be red, black, or yellow in color.
While they primarily nest outside in wood structures, they can enter your home through cracked foundations, gaps around doors, windows, or vents. Once inside, they’ll begin to forage for food while creating nests in wooden furniture, walls, or baseboards.
Citronella Ants
Female citronella ants are a distinct gold color, while males are black. They get their name from the strong lemon scent they emit when threatened, which only gets more pungent if they’re crushed. Outside, their nests are found underneath rocks, logs, or near building foundations. Inside, they’re attracted to moist areas or damaged wood. Their primary food source is honeydew, so you’ll find them feasting on crumbs or sweets inside your home.
Field Ants
Field ants can be a combination of colors but are usually yellow, black, or reddish-brown. They don’t have a stinger, but they do bite and spray a strong-smelling formic acid into wounds, which can be very painful.
These ants rarely nest inside homes. Field ants prefer wooded areas, yards, or fields (hence the name). Their primary food source is honeydew. On the rare occasion they enter your home, they’ll feed on sweets, meat products, or liquids.
Pavement Ants
The easiest way to identify these ants is by their nests. These dark brown ants will push dirt into a cone-shaped mound near driveways, sidewalks, or rocks. Pavement ants usually search for food near their nests, looking for roots, young plants, seeds, grease, or sweets. While they live outside, they’ll venture inside to search for food or if they find a better nesting location. These ants don’t cause significant damage but are territorial and will bite or sting humans when threatened.
Odorous House Ants
The odorous house ant is very similar in appearance to the pavement ant. Both are small and dark brown in color. However, their most distinguishing feature comes from the smell of rotting coconuts they emit when crushed, which is where they get their name.
These ants live outside underneath debris, wood, or rocks and feed on meat, dairy products, sweets, and plant or fruit juices. Like the pavement ant, they’ll venture inside for food or shelter. Removing these ants usually requires professional ant pest control as they’re very tolerant to heat and cold, making their removal difficult.
Pharaoh Ants
These ants are yellow-brown to pale red, with darker abdomens covered in distinct markings. Unlike other species, you can usually find these ants indoors; they rarely nest outside. You’ll find them in warm, humid areas near food sources, such as inside walls, underneath flooring, or behind baseboards. They’ve even been known to live underneath linens or furniture. Cables and electrical wires act as a highway, allowing them to move freely throughout your home.
If you see pharaoh ants outside, they’ll be underneath debris or in shaded areas. These ants are not picky eaters when it comes to food. They’ll swarm to any food source and devour it quickly. Common food sources include other insects, pet food, sweets, meat, grease, cheese, and oils.
Small Honey Ants
Considered more of a nuisance than a threat, these tiny ants are shiny brown in color. They have a darker, triangular-shaped abdomen covered in small hairs. Their nests are usually found in flower beds or underneath stones, logs, or debris.
Honey ants are usually more active during winter and will venture inside in search of food. Should they decide to make their nest indoors, it’s usually in potted plants. These ants are particularly fond of sugary food, mainly eating honeydew, over-ripe fruit juice, or sap.
Thief Ants
These are some of the smallest ants in Illinois, growing to about 1/16 inch in length. Their bodies are smooth and shiny and usually dark, light brown, or pale yellow. Their name comes from making their nests near other insects’ nests so they can steal food.
While they live primarily outdoors, thief ants will enter your home during the hot summer months to escape the heat and to look for food. They’ll nest behind baseboards, underneath flooring, or in small crevices. They prefer high protein or greasy foods.
How to Get Rid of Ants in Illinois
When you notice an ant invasion beginning, there are plenty of home solutions you can try. Depending on the type and location of the infestation, they may or may not work.
- Mop and clean with vinegar.
- Apply essential oils like neem, peppermint, or cinnamon leaf oil solutions.
- Use store-bought bait stations.
- Sprinkle coffee grounds, diatomaceous earth, or Borax.
DIY ant removal methods often provide some temporary relief from ants. Unfortunately, their adaptable nature means ants quickly resist homemade and store-bought solutions or simply move their nest slightly away from the affected area. Nothing is as effective at eliminating these creatures as professional ant pest control.
How Do I Prevent Ants in the Future?
Cut Off the Food Supply
- Clean up quickly after meals.
- Keep food in airtight containers.
- Sweep daily.
- Mop weekly.
- Wipe down shelving and nooks and crannies weekly.
- Keep pet food sealed and avoid leaving food out for prolonged periods.
- Keep trash cans closed.
Reduce Water Access
- Clear debris, including fall leaves and dead trees that can trap and hold moisture.
- Resolve areas of standing water in your landscaping.
- Repair leaking faucets and cracked pipes.
- Check gutters and drains for easy runoff and absorption.
Keep Up on Home Repairs
- Caulk your windows and doors.
- Seal cracks in concrete and cinder blocks.
- Fill unsealed openings.
- Block large gaps.
- Keep wood piles, gardens, and compost piles away from your home.
American Pest Control is trained to take immediate and permanent action to eliminate ants and other pests from your home or business. We have the know-how and treatments to identify and eradicate different ant infestations you may encounter in Illinois. When you try to take care of what’s bugging you, the stress and worry of independent solutions don’t compare with the comfort and security of professional protection.
Get Rid of Your Most Common Illinois Ants with American Pest Control
For the best ant removal in Illinois, contact American Pest Control. Using products that are powerful on bugs but soft on the environment, we’ll remove common ants in Illinois from commercial and residential properties and keep them from returning.
To learn more about our affordable services, contact one of our team members or get a free quote. Don’t wait for a small ant problem to worsen—check our service areas and contact us today to enjoy an ant-free home or business tomorrow.
