BirdCast: Garden Pests: Ants

Pest: Ants, Black Carpenter Ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus (DeGeer)), Pharaoh Ant (Monomorium pharaonis), Thief Ant (Solenopsis molesta (Say)) and others.

Discussion: There are a wide variety of ant species in the Mid-Atlantic, but only a few, carpenter ant, pharaoh ants and thief ants and others, are household pests. Ants have three distinct body sections, with a pinched waist and jointed antennae. When breeding, winged ants will appear and swarm at night. Winged termites can look somewhat similar, but lack the jointed antennae and pinched waist. Ants in your garden or greenhouse may often be seen tending and protecting aphid colonies, as they feed on "honeydew" secreted by these plant pests. Large numbers of ants in your garden may mean you have an aphid problem.

Pesticides Commonly Applied: Chlorpyrifos (Dursban), Diazinon, Carbaryl (Sevin), Acephate (Orthene) and others.

Alternative Pesticides: Pyrethrins, Hydramethylnon and Abamectin. Use bait stations as opposed to broadcast distribution of pesticides. Small chunks of bait are usually carried back to colonies where they poison other ants in the colony. Using bait stations will help get rid of the source of the problem, and will cut down on the active ingredient available to other, non target species.

Biological or Physical Controls: The easiest way to control ants is to reduce the availability of food in your home by keeping your kitchen tidy. Follow ant trails and caulk any access points you find. Look for ant colonies within the home. Pharaoh ants can nest in very small spaces. One way to detect Pharaoh ant colonies is to place bait (such as honey) on paper plates throughout your home. Areas with large numbers of ants are likely to be near a colony or entry point. Carpenter Ants feed on decaying wood, so check areas of your home where wood is likely to get wet on a regular basis. It will do very little good to spray every ant you see in the home, as long as they are finding food and have easy access, ants will continue to arrive from the colony.

Bird Facts: Northern Flickers are ant specialists, with one study finding 5,000 ants in one bird's stomach. Pileated Woodpeckers are known to feed on carpenter ants. Swallows swifts and nighthawks will feed winged ants in the summer skies, so encourage them to visit your yard.