Black Field Ant - Maheu&Maheu

Black Field Ant Ants

Elimination

Black Field Ants prefer building their nest outside. Locating the nest is crucial to dealing with the problem. Outside, treat with a single application of liquid insecticide such as Maheu&Maheu Rampex . It is best to try to penetrate deeply into the nest (mound) as much as possible. Next, spray the same insecticide on the areas where the ants travel as well as on the base of your home’s foundation and a 3 meter strip around the outside of your home to prevent them from entering.

It is rare for Black Field Ants to enter a home, but it can sometimes occur. If so, apply Maheu&Maheu Crawling Insect Killer or Maheu&Maheu Insecticide Dust locally inside cracks where they enter or around the perimeter of the rooms.

Actions

Spray or treat nests directly and treat the outside perimeter of the house with an insecticide

Prevention

Seal the outsides of windows, doors, eaves, chimneys, etc. as completely as possible.

Description and development

Often confused with the Black Carpenter Ant, the Black Field Ant (Formica glacialis ) is approximately 9 mm long. Its color varies from reddish brown to dark brown or black.

Ants are social insects that live in colonies. They have a queen, the only female in the group to have wings at one point in her life and the only one who reproduces. The other females are worker ants who maintain the nest and forage for food. At a specific point that varies by species, the winged males and females leave the colony to mate. This is called swarming, a phenomenon that usually occurs among Black Field Ants toward the end of spring or in summer on hot, and humid days. After copulating, the males die, as they are unable to feed themselves.

After the males die, the fertile females head off to build their nests. Once a queen finds a suitable spot to found a colony, she lays several eggs. The larvae that emerge from these eggs are the nest’s first worker ants. The queen will care for them until there are enough worker ants to take her place and do the work for her. Reproduction, however, remains the queen’s prerogative.

Habits

Most of the time, Black Field Ants build their nest in the grass or under rocks. They do not build nests inside buildings. They feed on live or dead insects and sweet substances. They sometimes invade a house searching for food.

Tips

The ants you see walking around are worker ants. Their job is to find food and bring it back to the nest. Once a worker ant finds a “feast,” she returns to the nest with her treasure while leaving an odor trail of pheromones to mark the way back. But don’t worry; because they are only worker ants, they cannot make a nest inside your home.

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