What is it with ants? The weather turns cold and they disappear. But then when things start to warm up a bit, there they are again! As if by magic. Where were they all this time? And why don’t they stay away? Why do they come back every spring to torment us in our homes and our businesses? Is there anything you can do to make them stay away? Actually, there is, and we are going to explore that possibility in just a moment. But first, let’s look a little bit at why having ants come back year after year is not a good thing.

Problems Ants Bring To Home Or Business

Ants Bite

All ants can bite, but there are two that are particularly troublesome in this respect, the fire ant and the carpenter ant. Fire ants can quickly swarm and bite repeatedly, which is not only painful but can be deadly if the victim is a person who is not able to escape the biting insects, persons such as infants or the infirm. If you have fire ants plaguing your property, it is wise to have them eradicated.

Contrary to what their name suggests, carpenter ants do not build or repair anything. In fact, they destroy. And they do this by chewing galleries inside the wooden structures of a home or business. And while they are not normally inclined to bite humans, they are able to use their wood-cutting mandibles to give a painful bite. They may also spray a defensive chemical (formic acid) into the wound, increasing the pain.

Ants Crawl

All ants crawl, but pharaoh ants are some of the worst. These ants are known to invade kitchens and pantries, crawling all over stoves, countertops, refrigerators, food, plates, cups and silverware. Perhaps this wouldn’t be too bad except for the fact that they also crawl around in garbage cans and inside toilet bowls, and then carry all sorts of bacteria back to your kitchen. Studies show that pharaoh ants are able to carry more than 12 infection organisms.

Ants Stink

All ants put off a scent, but odorous house ants take the cake. Not only do they have the pheromones that all ants use, but if they are threatened, or stepped on, they put off an awful smell that is comparable to rotten coconuts.

If you are encountering these ants, or perhaps Argentine, acrobat, or little black ants in your Tennessee home or business, consider help from the pest professionals here at Russell’s. It stinks having biting, crawling, annoying and potentially dangerous ants around. Reach out to us today and become ant-free.