ARGENTINE ANT
Kill argentine ant colonies by drenching mounds
with
Demon, Cyper, Cynoff
Argentine Ant Biology,
Identification
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The Argentine ant is a one node, small, shiny, brown ant with only one size of worker. Workers are usually about 1/12 to 1/8 inch long. The queen ants are much larger, sometimes reaching 1/4 inch in length. This ant is found throughout the Southeastern United States and Southern California. They nest outdoors under logs, concrete slabs, debris and mulch. Argentine ants build very large colonies and can move rapidly. During winter months, this ant will move indoors.
This ant is successful and hard to control because:
- Different Argentine ant colonies in a same general locale are not enemies. Even the many queens in a single colony or separate colonies are friendly to each other.
- Argentine ants are not too "picky" when choosing a suitable site to infest or colonize. They readily (as you will read about in "Inspecting for Argentine Ants") move their nests during the changing seasons and other conditions.
- These pests are omnivorous; they seem to never be in short supply of food.
- Each colony of Argentine ants contains a multitude of workers.
- Each worker is more courageous and harder worker than most ants. Creatures that attempt to prey on Argentine ants are confronted with an army of stubborn bugs that never runs from a fight!
- The queens of most ant species are usually egg-laying machines. The queen ant of Argentines actually helps in the care, grooming and feeding of her young.
- Most species of ants mate and reproduce by swarming; the Argentine mates in the colony, unexposed to the perils of birds, frogs, lizards, predator insects and extreme weather conditions. A swarmer reproductive (as seen with fireants and carpenter ants) has about 1 chance in 1,000 of surviving and successfully reproducing. The Argentine ant queen always succeeds!
- This ant pest has no natural enemies (of any importance) in the United States.
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Inspecting
for Argentine Ants
Without proper inspection, you will not kill ants of this type. All
possible nests must be eliminated for ant control. After learning how to inspect for
these pests, go to Argentine
Ant elimination.
In the Spring, the nest can be found in open ground with small piles of excavated earth a short distance from the nest holes. Form boards along sidewalks, patios, driveways, and wooden objects of any kind are preferred as nesting sites and runways. The area beneath a plant infested with "ant cows" often will be honey-combed with their tunnels. The ants may be encountered in great numbers in and under dead and decaying stumps.
During warm weather, the Argentines might favor the undersides of houses
and may use the mudsills as their runways, even establishing themselves in the home
itself. During the Summer months, the nests of this ant are very shallow, usually
only one or two inches below the surface of the soil. An occasional exception can be
found in the roots of large trees located in favorable areas to the Argentine ant.
Argentine ants begin to migrate and congregate into super "ant
cities" during Autumn, where you can find hundreds of queens. To locate these
colonies, inspect beneath any ground "clutter" such as piles of construction
materials, boards, sheets of tin or plywood and even decaying plant material. It is
in these warm, protected areas that the Argentine Ant will retreat from the ravages of
Winter.
Winter months can take their toll on many insect populations, if the insects have not
found a suitable are to retreat. The Argentine ant will many times move their
colonies into man-made structures. Although free standing homes might become targets
of this pest, larger structures (apartment buildings, office buildings, condominiums,
industrial sites, etc.) are more apt to be infested. Possible areas that need
inspection include any warm, hidden areas (moisture often is another key; condensation,
etc.) such as conduit pipes. In homes, hot water lines and areas around hot tubs are
good examples of possible nesting sites.
Spring brings us full circle in the migration of Argentine ants. The huge ant
population breaks up into smaller groups, each containing one or more queen ants.
These smaller groups will migrate to the areas discussed in the Spring
months section of this article. In the case of overcrowding or "false
Spring" you might find a small colony (containing one or two queen ants) trying to
nest beneath a damp mop or wet dish rag and other such places. This is not often
the case, but is well worth remembering when establishing an Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) program or inspecting for possible Argentine ant colonies.
Argentine Ant
Elimination
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Eliminating these pests should be done by combining chemical and non-chemical methods. Change of habitat is just as important as choosing best insecticides.
Non-chemical ant control methods
Products and
application for eliminating Argentine ants
Non-chemical
control methods
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Limit areas where this ant can hide or nest while also
limiting their access to your home. Reducing moisture in and around
buildings and inhibiting access to buildings make invasion of your home more difficult. If possible, make any structural changes that will
reduce condensation (on windows, plumbing, interior walls, etc.) in your home. Do
not allow excessive watering of lawns and flower beds create more moist conditions which
Argentine ants dearly love. Adjust sprinkler heads accordingly.
Remove any objects (such as boards, construction materials, etc.) under which Argentine
ants might try to colonize or hide.
Keeping vegetation to a minimum around your home will help.
Vegetation offers hiding places as well as bridges to your home.
"Limiting Vegetation" does not mean you are not allowed to have
a beautifully landscaped home. Keeping grasses and weeds to a
minimum and regularly trimming of shrubs and trees is needed, to hinder
the population of ants.
Trim shrubs and trees so that they do not touch the structure.
Two feet of clearance between ornamentals and
structure is best. Make sure that no tree limbs are any closer
than five feet from the roof.
If possible, use pea-gravel instead of organic material for mulch. Argentine ants
prefer organic materials, large pine bark and other such objects under which they will
hide or colonize.
Products and
application for eliminating Argentine ants
Products
Indoor Applications
Outdoor Applications
Argentine Ant Elimination Summary
Order Products for Argentine
Ant Elimination
Although Argentine ants will
sometimes accept commercial baits, you will have greater control over the infestation by
using contact insecticides. Baits are best to use only when there is an indoor
infestation and the colonies cannot be eliminated with contact insecticides
(dusts, sprays.)
Argentine Ants do not always respond well to ant
baits. In the pest control industry, we always want to use a bait for ants
(and other pests) for several reasons: baits let the ants do all the work; baits
are easier (for the most part) to apply; customers feel more comfortable with
baits than they do spraying.
Although we prefer to use baits, when a pest such as Argentines are not
accepting baits, the use of contact insecticides is the obvious way to go.
In ant extermination, you want to use the best method and products that are most
likely to cause the colony or colonies to crash. Kill enough of the worker
ants and you have made the queen and the nursery helpless, ending the life of
the ant colony.
One of the best active ingredient (i.e.) to use in eliminating Argentine ants is
Cypermethrin. This material is available in Cyper
TC, Cyper WP, Demon EC,
Cynoff EC and Cypermethrin
EC 4 Ounce. Each of these products contain Cypermethrin, each will yield
different amounts. Liquid concentrated Cypermethrin requires only 1/2
ounce per gallon when mixing.
Wettable powder concentrates require only 1 scoop per gallon.
Cyper WP: 48 gallons Cyper
TC: 256 gallons
Cynoff EC: 65 gallons Demon EC:
32 gallons Cypermethrin
4 Oz.: 8 gallons
For large or stubborn jobs, Cyper TC is best. A gallon of Cyper TC is
cheaper than a quart of Cynoff EC. Same strength, same active ingredient.
Indoor
pesticide applications:
If Argentine ants have invaded your home, spray Cypermethrin along baseboards, window
sills, around plumbing or where ants are most often seen. If not, skip down to Outdoor Pesticide Application.
Look for and spray any possible entry point or hiding place. Our Chapin sprayer has an adjustable tip for spraying
entry points and baseboards or for slowly drenching ant mounds. If you have
determined that the ants have established colonies in your walls, it may be necessary to
apply an insecticide dust (Delta Dust is the best) to any
void where you suspect ant or other insect activity. Use a Crusader Duster for applying Delta Dust to wall
voids, cracks and crevices. For smaller infestations, insecticide dust might not be
needed.
If you know there are a great deal of these ants in your walls (or other inaccessible
areas) but cannot locate them for dust application, bait indoors with Maxforce
Complete.
Outdoor
pesticide applications:
Once all ant colonies have been located, treating the nests is quite simple. All
visible mounds must be drenched (or soaked) with high volume of Cypermethrin under low
pressure. Simply "fan-spraying" the surface of individual mounds does not
work. Each nest needs to be thoroughly drenched.
Summary of Argentine Ant Elimination
Use Cypermethrin for spraying inside and out, and for drenching existing mounds and colonies.
Spray beneath objects that might harbor Argentine ants.
Spray tree trunks, flower beds, mulch and a good ground perimeter around
structures.
Treat any crack or crevice that might serve as a hiding place or entry point, both inside
your home and on the outside surface with Demon, Cyper or Cynoff.
Use Delta Dust in cracks, crevices, hiding places and along plumbing lines when
exterminating indoor ant populations.
How to Order Argentine Ant Elimination Products
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Ant Exterminator Kit -- Each Ant Exterminator Kit contains everything you need to eliminate ants from your home and property: 1 Pint Demon EC; 1 Pound Delta Dust; 1 Crusader Duster; Chapin sprayer.
Ant Exterminator Kit.
Professional Pest Control Products
6920 Pine Forest Rd. Pensacola, FL 32526
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