| Appearance |
 Golden-yellow;
one of
the smallest ants, 1/16- to
1/8-inch long. |
| Habitat |
|
Thief ants derive their name from
their habit of
establishing colonies close to other ants to steal their food, and even
capture
and eat other ants' eggs and larvae. They nest outdoors in soil, trash and
rotten wood and tree cavities, and indoors in small crevices, woodwork and masonry.
Finding the nests is extremely difficult, so thief ant control is best handled
by
professionals. Thief ants commonly enter structures during hot, dry
weather. |
| Diet |
|
Thief ants prefer high-protein foods, but will feed
on sweets. They eat almost any organic matter, including insects, honeydew,
seeds,
meats, fruit, bread crumbs, oils, nuts, pet foods and dairy
products.
|
| Control |
|
Thief ant control can be
difficult. They are often mistaken for the
slightly larger pharaoh ants; unfortunately, the bait used for
pharaoh ant control may not be effective for
thief ants. The first step is to locate their nests, by following the
trial of
foraging workers back from their food source. An experienced
ant control professional can tell you
which different
baits are likely to achieve best results. |
|
