# What type of ant is it?



## Jameskk (Jul 30, 2021)

Can anyone tell what kind of ant this is by looking at this picture?

i noticed the swarm of ants after a sunset today. I placed a terro outdoor ant bait but i wonder if it would be effective against this type of ant. Does anyone know what type of ant this is from the picture?

thanks


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## Jameskk (Jul 30, 2021)

another picture with penny next to them to show their size.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Where are you located in general?
The only ant I came up with with a red thorax and black head and tail is a carpenter ant. But, those look too small.

The thorax or chest looks reddish-brown to me, does it to you?


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## Jameskk (Jul 30, 2021)

Nik333 said:


> Where are you located in general?
> The only ant I came up with with a red thorax and black head and tail is a carpenter ant. But, those look too small.


I live in San Jose, California.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Does this look like it? I'm asking because my computer screen is orange for the night. Maybe I'll try tomorrow. UC Davis has entomologists.






UC ANR Statewide IPM Program (UCIPM)







ipm.ucanr.edu


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## Jameskk (Jul 30, 2021)

Nik333 said:


> Does this look like it? I'm asking because my computer screen is orange for the night. Maybe I'll try tomorrow. UC Davis has entomologists.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


maybe they are carpenter ants. I placed Terro outdoor ant bait near the swarmed area. They are not showing much interested in it. Only few ants show interest in the bait.
previously when i used this ant bait, ants just jumped on it immediately, but this time, it is not working very well. I have only had it there for 4 hours but….
If it is indeed a carpenter ant, does anyone know what the best way to get rid of them? I sprinkled terro perimeter ant bait plus which says it works against carpenter ant as well, but they dont seem to be interested in these granules…


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

I think they are too small, but, there are plenty of members that have worked with them. They're asleep. See you tomorrow!

@Jameskk -






Carpenter Ants Management Guidelines--UC IPM


UC home and landscape guidelines for control of Carpenter Ants.



ipm.ucanr.edu


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Bump


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## Jameskk (Jul 30, 2021)

Nik333 said:


> Bump


Just wondering if anyone can tell if this is a carpenter ant. If so, does anyone know what’s the best solution to this?
Thank you for your help in advance


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## MTN REMODEL LLC (Sep 11, 2010)

Sorry...I sure can't ideniftfy.... but I have a similar problem....but my ants are really really small....just basically bothersome running around our decks.

I went to get ant killer at wallmart and the big boxers.....I had no idea how many types of ants there are....so I read all the packages that was no help...and on top of that...each had a different "active ingrediant".

I thought I could take a sample ant to some county guy for identification, but they are a long way away. 

So, considering the insectacides are not that expensive, I'm going to try them one at a time till I find one that works....starting with the cheapest.

(Even the fireant killers have different "active ingrediants'.)


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

You could do an experiment where you put out different ant-attracting foodstuffs like sweet vs grease. That narrows the field. I can tell you Fire-ants like stinging people, so you would know.
Did you read the article?

A lot of ants are just coming in out of the heat and for water.


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## DoomsDave (Dec 6, 2018)

@Jameskk nice to meet you and welcome!

I'm in southern California, sort of a neighbor; I'm from Ohio, and I'm familiar with the critters there, too. I managed a garden shop for a number of years, and counseled many unhappy homeowners with ant problems.

In general, I concur with @Nik333 and @MTN REMODEL LLC 's advice, with caveats below:

Your ants are not carpenter ants. They're much too small. Carpenter ants are at least the size of a penny, often a lot larger, up to an inch long. They're a problem in places like Ohio in wood that's damp, usually from contact with the ground.

Your ants are not fire ants. Which is a doggone good thing. Fire ants are nasty, and they're red. They sting like hell and live up to their name. They make mounds in the ground like concrete from which they swarm forth when disturbed. (I disturbed a mound, _once_ in Texas, in 1979. Quite enough.)

A few notes about "RIFA" (Red Imported Fire Ants). They need lots of water to survive, which means they don't make it here in most of California. We had a Great Fire Ant Hysteria down in So-Cal a number of years ago, and counties formed these Fire Ant Gestapos to eradicate them. Fire ants were found here, but, because they need ground water, tended to be near people's homes and businesses, where they were not loved. I suppose they could establish themselves in the wild in a place like the San Joaquin river valley which has plenty of water, but there's not many happy homes for them here in So-Cal, thank heaven.

Pictures, including stings, below.

A couple more words about ants: Abandon the fantasy of "being rid of them." You can't. The average yard has scores of ant hills, most too small to notice, and too far from your house to be a concern. But you can reduce their numbers near your home if you're willing to go to the trouble. Ants as a group like to go out in "foraging columns" looking for food sources which they'll harvest. Different ant types go after different foods; some like sweets, others like animal fats. Most baits attract one or the other, which is the science behind Nik and MTN Remodel's suggestions. The hope is that the ants take the bait, then eventually give it to the "queen" who dies and the colony dies with her. Sometimes you can spray bug killers or pour boiling water in an anthill to kill the ants, too. 

Let us know how things go.


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