What do the following words have in common: Acrobat, odorous, pavement, pharaoh, citronella and carpenter? That's right. When you put the word "ant" after them, they become household pests. But all ant pests are not created equal.

The problem nuisance ants cause:

When you walk out to your garage to drop off a bag of garbage and find your garbage can covered in ants, it can be a disgusting and frustrating experience. When you wake up and find your entire bed covered with ants, it can leave you slightly traumatized. But the fact that nuisance ants can creep you out isn't the real reason these ants are a problem. It isn't that some of those ants come with unpleasant odors either. Nuisance ants forage in dirty places and carry harmful bacteria on their bodies. If you see ants crawling around on your counter or in your pantry by the hundreds, there is a chance those are the same ants that were climbing in the dumpster across the street or your neighbor's garbage cans. Acrobat, citronella, odorous, pavement and pharaoh ants all have the potential to contaminate your food sources and counters with an invisible threat that can leave your family battling flu-like symptoms.

The problem carpenter ants cause:

Like those nuisance ants, carpenter ants can spread illness, but that’s not the only thing that makes these intruders bad. Carpenter ants burrow through the wood structure of your home to shape caverns for their nests and to get to food sources. If left unchecked, this pest can cost you thousands in complex home repairs.

Identification:

There are two visual features that set the carpenter ant apart from the nuisance ants listed above. They are the largest ants you'll find in your home, measuring 1/4 to 1/2 an inch in length, and they have a single "node" at what you might consider their waist. The only ants on this list that you might confuse with carpenter ants are odorous house ants (because they have a single node at their waist), but odorous house ants will be half the length of a carpenter ant (running 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch).

Ant Control In New York:

When it comes to getting rid of ants in New York, you can trust Thomas Pest Services. Our consistent service and effective treatments have earned us the Angie's List Super Service Award for the last two year, and we are striving to win it again in 2015 by offering the friendliest service and most advanced pest protection in New York. Whether you have nuisance ants or a wood-destroying home-wrecker, contact us today, and we will help you squish the problem.