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Insect Quiz February, 2006 |
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Insect Quiz February, 2006 |
You come home at the end of the day and notice a large number of winged insects around the windows. They kind of look like ants except you have never seen ants with wings before. You aren't sure where they are coming from or what kind of damage they are doing. You also think it is strange that all of these live insects have suddenly appeared in your home in the winter.
1. What are these insects?
They are winged larger yellow ants, Acanthomyops interjectus. Winged ants are the reproductive ants of a colony, i.e. females and males. Queens of this species are about 5/16th inch long with yellowish to reddish colored bodies. Males are smaller and usually darker. Yellow ants are also known as citronella ants because they have a distinct lemony smell when disturbed or crushed. Interestingly, yellow ant workers which are about 3/16th inch long and yellowish in color are rarely seen in homes, preferring to stay underground in their nests. They feed on the sweet honeydew excreted by subterranean aphids and have no interest in human food.
2. Where did they come from?
Yellow ants nest outdoors in the soil underneath objects such as bricks, stones, logs, patio blocks, or concrete. They are also associated with buildings in and around foundations walls as well as under concrete slab construction. Yellow ants normally swarm anytime from spring through summer. However, nests that are in or under buildings can be fooled into thinking spring has arrived because of the warmth from a furnace or heating duct. This results in swarmers emerging from their nests during winter. Once they have left their nest, winged ants are often found near windows because they are attracted by the light.
3. What kind of damage can they cause?
Fortunately, the presence of a yellow ant swarm is just a nuisance; they do not damage the structure of our homes, eat our food, or destroy our property. The queens also do not attempt to establish new nests indoors. Workers are sometimes found throwing bits of dirt and cement particles out of the nest. Despite the appearance of this debris, they do not damage wood, masonry, or any part of the home.
4. What is the best control of these insects?
A swarm of yellow ants is temporary and will go away on their own in a few days. Your best bet is to vacuum and remove the ants as you find them. If you can determine where these ants are moving through the concrete slab or the walls, you can seal the cracks to keep them out of your home. Insecticides are not necessary as they are short-lived once they emerge and are trapped in the home. With some ant species, it is desirable to treat the nest directly. However, this typically isn't practical for yellow ant nests as this would involve a pest management professional drilling the slab and injecting an insecticide into it. Baiting, while effective against most ants is ineffective against yellow ants. The winged ants do not feed nor return to the nest to share the bait and workers do not search for food out of the nest and won't find the bait.
