Ants Emergency Pest Control Service

Most ants are brownish to black. They can also be yellow, reddish, or black and red. Color can be helpful but is not always definitive for identifying ants.

Worker ants vary in size from as small as 1/20 inch long to 1/2 inch long. Size can help narrow down which ant is present but it is usually not enough to identify it without looking at other characteristics.

These characteristics are important to help identify different species of ants, although they may not be easy to see:

• The number of nodes in the petiole and whether they are clearly visible or are hidden.
• The shape of the thorax.
• The presence or absence of spines on the back of the thorax.
• The number of segments in the antennae and whether a club (enlarged segment at the tip) is present.
• The presence or absence of simple eyes (ocelli) on the head.

An ant’s biology can also help identify them, such as where they are nesting and when they swarm (when females and males fly out of their nest).