Ants are a pest that you can deal with if you get in contact with your Tulsa exterminator today. Ants are a eusocial insect that organizes itself into large colonies. These colonies can go to war with each other in your backyard without you even realizing it. Underneath your feet this battle for survival is happening every day. In some cases, we can get caught in the midst of the fray. Fire ants can sting us all the way up your ankles and odorous house ants can find their way into our homes. So in this article, let us take a good hard look at ants, their life cycle and what you and your Tulsa exterminator can do to protect yourselves and your loved ones from these insects.

ODOROUS HOUSE ANTS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Odorous house ants are pretty much the only indoor ant that we find in northeastern Oklahoma. These insects are so named because if you crush one of them and smell it, it has a definite distinct odor to it. To me, it smells like a musty coconut. Other people have their other descriptions for it but it is definitely a unique smell. These insects will set up shop inside your home. They’ll build their colony somewhere in a wall cavity or where you can’t see this colony. Odorous house ants are unique because they use splintering in order to create new colonies.

Splintering works by using the workers to reproduce the colony. All workers are sterile females. They stay sterile because they’re constantly in contact with a pheromone emitted by the queen. This queen tells the workers to stay sterile using this pheromone. But if a group of workers finds themselves separated from the colony for an extended period of time, and they’re no longer in contact with this pheromone then one of these workers will become reproductive, and then become the queen of a new colony. 

Because of this, if you try to kill these ants with an over the counter spray that you bought at your hardware store, you will most likely separate a group of worker ants from its original colony. This will cause the worker ants to splitter. Now you have two colonies with two queens producing twice as many ants as when you started. This is a problem that you and your Tulsa exterminator can handle.

FIRE ANTS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Here in Oklahoma we have actually two different kinds of fire ants. We have the indigenous fire ant and the invasive fire ant. The invasive species that has found its way into our state borders is quickly supplanting the indigenous fire ant. This is a problem because these fire ants are much more aggressive than the indigenous version. All fire ants  are known by the fact that they can bite you with a very painful sting. If you kick over one of the mounds, they will come out in droves and attack your ankles with multiple bites in defense of the colony.

It’s often that we can find these insects in fields in yards with multiple colonies. While you can buy over-the-counter solutions for these insects, the best solution is to contact your Tulsa exterminator for help with them. They have the exact right chemical and know how to treat these insects with much success. Understanding their life cycle and how they work is key to dealing with these insects. Not to mention using the correct pesticides in the correct portions and the right places. Contact your Tulsa exterminator for help with indigenous and invasive fire ants.

THIEF ANTS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

The thief ant is a unique ant that uses a devious method in order to survive. These ants will create a colony right next to a pharaoh ant colony. These small ants will make their way into the pharaoh ant colony and then emit a special pheromone that mimics the pharaoh ant colonies pheromones. This means that the ants in the pharaoh ant colony will assume that the thief ant is just another one of them. They’ll immediately head for the brood and pick up a larva or egg and head back to their their ant colony. Here they will eat the egg and larva and feed it to their young. They will do this multiple times, feeding off the pharaoh ants eggs and larva. This is why they have given this ant the name thief ant.

AMAZON ANTS AND TULSA EXTERMINATOR

Amazon ants are unique in the fact that they will actually create slaves of other ant species. These ants are not capable of creating their own workers in their own species. Because of this, they will form raiding parties that will go attack other ants colonies. Once they are inside of the other ant colony, they will emit a pheromone that scares off all of the worker and soldier ants of the victimized colony. Once they have gotten down to the brood, they will carry off eggs and larva back to their own colony. 

Here they will eat some of them, but the others they will actually rear as their own. They will apply special pheromones to these ants, convincing them that they are part of the new Amazon ant colony. Once they hatch and grow to full adulthood, these ants will now become workers for the Amazon ant colony. Even if they come in contact with ants from their original colony, these ants will be aggressive towards their original colony. They are completely brainwashed and will work for the Amazon ants until the day that they die.

If you’re having issues with ants or any other pest control problems, then its time to call in your Tulsa exterminator today. Here at TermMax pest control, we are the best in the business when it comes with ants or any other pests. We service the greater Tulsa area, including Broken Arrow, Claremore, Catoosa, Bixby, Jenks, Owasso, Turley, Sand Springs, Prattville, Sapulpa, and so much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!