S & W Pest Management Inc : Insect Guide

Pest Guide » Ants » Little Black Ants:

Little Black Ants
Monomorium minimum
Color: Black
Legs: Six
Shape: Segmented; oval
Size: 1/16 to 1/8"
Antennae: Yes
Flight: No

Black ants are active both during the day and at night, often carrying food back to its nest in little trails. These ants usually build their nests underground, but small domes of fine dirt are visible aboveground. Sometimes these ants will also build nests in rotting wood or trees.

One of the more common house-infesting ants, Little Black Ants nest in wall voids and under carpets. They may build outdoor colonies under rocks, logs, debris and forage to indoor food sources along baseboards and carpet edges.

The little black ant feeds on many food items it can find in the kitchen. They enjoy sweets, fats and oils such as fruit cores, bits of meat, cooked vegetables, or even crumbs of bread.

Prevention Outdoors:

Remove piles of lumber or other yard debris that could serve as a nesting site for ants.
Keep mulch less than 2" thick and at least 12" away from foundations.
Eliminate sources of moisture such as leaky faucets, plumbing, and free-standing water. Also, make sure that your sprinkler system does not spray directly onto the foundation of your home or business.
Consider re-landscape. Avoid using plants that are prone to aphids.Do not use items such as stones and landscape timbers next to the foundation, ants underneath are more likely to infest a home.
Keep branches trimmed to prevent them from touching your building.

Prevention Indoors:

If ants are trailing to food, remove the food source and wipe ant trails with a mild detergent to erase the trail pheromone. The trail pheromone is a specialized chemical that foraging ants emit to guide other foraging ants to food or to a new nesting place.

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